


trust in me (i'll trust in you)

by LightInTheVoid



Series: Together, We’re Not Alone [1]
Category: Kingdom Hearts (Video Games)
Genre: Brain has questions, Brain's Chirithy, Brain's doing his best, Chirithy POV, Chirithy is doing his best, F/M, Gen, KHUX prequel fic, Kingdom Hearts Union Cross, Kingdom Hearts Union X, Kingdom Hearts Union χ, Mostly Canon Compliant, Nomura please, alternatively titled: A Chirithy and His Boy, khux novel style, let's all appreciate Brain challenge, potential spoilers for the reveal after the Control Room scene, that's too many questions, the Brain/Ava is pre-relationship, what is Brain's actual Keyblade
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-21
Updated: 2020-11-27
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:42:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 52,730
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27119044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LightInTheVoid/pseuds/LightInTheVoid
Summary: “Weren’t you listening earlier? I’m your companion. All of us have been assigned to Keyblade wielders, and you’re mine!” I told him proudly. “So I’ll be supporting you and teaching you everything you need to know and more!”A snapshot of moments from their first meeting to the Keyblade War: in which Chirithy learns what it means to be a partner, and Brain learns what it means to have a friend.
Relationships: Ava & Brain (Kingdom Hearts), Brain & Chirithy (Kingdom Hearts), Brain/Ava (Kingdom Hearts)
Series: Together, We’re Not Alone [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1979515
Comments: 8
Kudos: 16





	1. Part I: Chirithy

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! Finally bringing you the start of the Brain Is Actually Very Soft At Heart series I promised a while ago hahaha I think I started writing this back at the start of the year, half as a way to show how much I love this smart boy trying his best and also because of a scene in my head at the end of this fic which apparently required 40k of buildup haha
> 
> Anyway, as a Brain Appreciation series, there's gonna be a fic for each Union leader POV and to start it all off is Chirithy! (though not a Union leader hah) This was originally written as a oneshot, but it turned out to be about 50K long, which I don't think most people like to read in one hit so I'm putting it into chapters... hopefully that doesn't mess with the flow too much. Updates won't all be at once but it's not a WIP!
> 
> And as always, a massive thank you to my friend who has listened to me screaming about this fic and its sequels for the better part of a year - you kept my motivation going strong, so this is for you!

Today’s the day! I get to meet my new Keyblade wielder! I wonder what they’ll be like? I’ve heard the other Chirithies talk about their new partners, and they all sound so different. Energetic, quiet, strong, brash… my new partner feels very calm, but our connection is still pretty weak so it doesn’t tell me much. Still, I’m sure whatever they’re like, we’ll get along just fine!

I’m sure they’ll be here. Any minute now…

.  
.  
.  
.  
.  
.  
.  
.  
.

“Geez, what’s taking them so long?” I complained, crossing my arms.

A soft giggle from above. I looked up at Master Ava to find her smiling down at me. “You seem eager to meet your new partner,” she said with a soft smile, crouching down gracefully to give my head a gentle rub. The motion helped soothe my annoyance.

“Of course! We’re gonna be partners, after all!” My ears drooped with a sudden wash of concern. “I hope nothing’s happened to them already…”

“You can sense him though, can’t you?” Master Ava pointed out. She was right, I could. They – no, Master Ava had said ‘he’, hadn’t she? _He_ still felt calm. Probably alright, then. Master Ava nodded, like she could see my worries fading. “Don’t worry,” she added, a hint of amusement in her words. “He might be late sometimes, but he turns up eventually.” Master Ava looked away, towards the hills beyond the city. “Although…” she said thoughtfully, her robes swishing around her as she straightened. “Perhaps it will be easier if we go find him.”

She set off, picking her path without hesitation. I hurried after her.

“You mean, you know where he is?” Even with our tentative connection, I wasn’t too sure myself. Master Ava was truly one of the Foretellers, to know where my missing partner was!

She glanced over her shoulder at me, slowing down enough for me to catch up with her. “Let’s just say, I have a fairly good idea.” Her lips curved in an impish smile.

Master Ava led the way through the town. We climbed a hill on the outskirts, and as we reached the top I realised you could see all of Daybreak Town spread out below. “Wow…”

“Yes, this is one of my favourite spots to see the town,” Master Ava said. “And look! Just as I thought. Over there, see?”

I looked in the direction she pointed and saw a dark shape amongst the grass and flowers. A Heartless?! As we got closer, I saw it was actually just a boy with his arms beneath his head, fast asleep. His coat and boots were black, as was the hat that was pulled low over his face to block the sunlight. A book lay abandoned on his chest, gently rising and falling with each breath. _This_ was my new partner? I looked up at Master Ava, who nodded reassuringly back at me. I looked back at the boy.

I’d imagined a lot of ways we’d meet, but this was a new one even to my imagination. Worry overtook me again – was he perhaps actually injured? Who wouldn’t come to a meeting because they were _sleeping_?

I hurried closer. Hrm, no injuries that I could see. What a relief! I turned my gaze to his face. Maybe I could get a better look under the hat from here? Before I could do anything, one eye lazily opened and caught sight of me.

“…Who…?”

There was a rustle of cloth as Master Ava walked up behind me. “Ah, Brain, here you are.” Her words were light as she smiled down at us both.

“Master Ava!” The boy sat up in a flurry. I hopped back hurriedly to avoid the book as it tumbled from his chest. “I’m late again, aren’t I? Sorry.” Although I still couldn’t get a good look at his face, he sounded contrite. Good! We’d been waiting a while, after all! He brushed a few pieces of stray grass from his coat.

“It’s alright,” Master Ava reassured him. The boy settled his fallen book in his lap as she moved to sit beside him, spreading the skirts of her robes out neatly. She motioned towards it. “Was your book any good?”

“Hrm.” His head tipped to the side as he considered it, long dark hair falling across a pale cheek. I blinked in surprise at the silver cross earring dangling from one ear. “I’ve read better, and the sun was warm enough for a nap.” His teeth flashed white in a grin. “Guess I fell asleep.”

He fell asleep, when he should have been meeting me!

I was ready to give him a piece of my mind, but Master Ava settled a hand on top of my head and giggled instead. His smile widened, before he hid it under a tilt of his hat. “Well,” Master Ava said thoughtfully, “it’s important for everyone to get enough sleep, since you all must fight the darkness.” Her words and her touch made my annoyance wilt. Master Ava was right.

“In any case,” she continued, “there’s someone I’d like you to meet.”

“Oh?” I’d felt him stealing glances at me before, but it was nothing compared to meeting the full intensity of his gaze when he tipped his hat back for a better look. Woah! It made me shiver. Grey eyes, kind eyes, but sharp and clear and piercing. Maybe that was why he covered them all the time? “Who’s this?” he asked curiously.

“Hi! I’m Chirithy!” I piped up, because it seemed like a good time to join the conversation. “I’m here to help you out!”

“Chirithy, huh?” He smiled, holding out a hand to shake my paw. His hand was large and warm. “Pleasure, the name’s Brain.”

“Brain? What kind of a name is that?” Those grey eyes blinked at me, and I realised I’d said that aloud. “Uh, whoops?”

Beside me, Master Ava was hiding a silent laugh behind a hand, shoulders shaking. I ducked my head, feeling embarrassed. It sure would be nice to have a hat of my own to hide behind right about now…

“About the same as Chirithy, I guess?” my new partner offered, darting a glance towards Master Ava as though asking for help. She was still giggling quietly and had none to offer. He returned his gaze to me.

Ah, but that wasn’t quite right. “Chirithy is my name, but it’s also what I am!” I informed him. It’s our job to help our partners learn, so I figured I could start with this.

Those grey eyes swept over me again. “Which is what, exactly?”

“A Chirithy!” Geez, didn’t he listen?

Master Ava spoke up before Brain could ask another question. “Brain, Chirithy is here to support you on your missions,” she explained. “Think of him as a companion, or a guide.” She got to her feet gracefully, leaving us both looking up at her as she brushed grass from her robes. She smiled. “I’m sure you two will get along well. And remember, may your heart be your guiding key.” With those parting words and a gentle wave, she left.

We both stared after her for a moment, then looked at each other.

“…So, you’re Chirithy,” my new partner said, scratching the back of his neck.

“Yup!”

He crossed his arms and considered this. “And a Chirithy is… what?”

Wow, I had a loooootta work to do with this one. Well, I guess us Chirithies were kinda new. “Weren’t you listening earlier? I’m your companion. All of us have been assigned to Keyblade wielders, and you’re mine!” I told him proudly. “So I’ll be supporting you and teaching you everything you need to know and more!”

“So there’s more of you?” he asked, a thoughtful look on his face.

“Yep!” I replied. Brain nodded, taking this in. “The Master made one of us for everyone, to help you guys out in the fight against darkness!”

He perked up at that, losing his earlier slouch. “The Master made you? The Master of Masters?”

“Yep!” I missed the curious gleam in his eyes at this confirmation as I mused to myself, “oh, but I guess I’m getting ahead of myself…” I should probably explain the basics first, right?

I drew myself up under Brain’s attention, clearing my throat. “Your pursuit of light made you the perfect candidate for a Keyblade Wielder!” I announced in a clear voice. “Darkness is spreading, and it’s up to you to use the Keyblade to get rid of it, collect light, and save the–”

“I know,” Brain cut in. I faltered.

“–world – wait, you know?”

He nodded. “Yeah, I got the introductory speech already.”

“Oh…” My ears drooped; I’d been looking forward to giving that speech. Brain offered me an apologetic smile, and I rallied. “Okay, well, why don’t you recap it for me? So I know we have the same information.”

Brain nodded. “Okay.” He tilted his head to the side in the same considering gesture as before. “Well, like you said, darkness is spreading, mainly in the form of monsters called Heartless who… eat hearts?” He grimaced at that. “So it’s up to those of us in the Unions who have somehow managed to summon _this_ ,” brows knit, he lifted a hand and a Keyblade appeared in a glitter of light, “to fight them and collect light in the form of Lux, and, uh, save the world.”

Huh, that was actually pretty good. “Yep, that’s about the long and short of it!”

His Keyblade was the standard Starlight Keyblade all wielders managed to summon at first, a bright contrast against his dark clothes. Although Brain’s words were confident, his tentative grip on the Keyblade gave away his true unease. Practice would help with that, I noted as he let the Keyblade disappear again. “If you have any other questions, I’ll do my best to answer them!”

That gleam of curiosity lit up his eyes again, and he leaned towards me. “In that case, I have a few questions…”

I clapped my paws together. “Okay! Let’s hear them, then!”

He took a deep breath. Then the floodgates opened. “The Keyblade is a weapon, but who makes them? Why are some the same and some are different? How does it pick people? Or is someone else actually picking people? _Why_ are they picking people? Why now of all times? The Heartless are rising, yes, but I’ve read about them, so they must have existed before this. Why does the darkness spawn into creatures, anyway? How do I even collect light? Why does destroying Heartless create light anyway, shouldn’t it just be that there’s less darkness? And you. You said the Master made you. Do you know how? That’s surely some kinda advanced spell-work or synthesis. Do you mind if I look at you? You said you were here to support the Keyblade wielders, but how so? You don’t look like you’re made for fighting. Can you do magic? What’s your purse there for? How do–”

“Wait wait wait time out!” I called, waving my paws frantically against the stream of words. Amazingly, Brain obeyed, falling silent. I blinked. “Wow, that’s… a lot of questions. You sure are curious, aren’t you?”

Brain averted his eyes, pulling his hat down again. It didn’t quite hide the flush on his cheeks. “I – sorry.”

“It’s okay! That’s what I’m here for!” I said cheerfully. Maybe I hadn’t _quite_ expected a flood of questions right away, but maybe all new Keyblade wielders were like this? I’d have to ask the other Chirithies. I crossed my arms and thought back through all the questions carefully. “Okay, well, here goes… I don’t know where all the Keyblades come from, but the Master knows how to make them, so I guess it’s him that does? They’re weapons that are drawn to the light in people’s hearts, so that’s how they pick people!”

I guess knowledge was more important than being embarrassed, because I had Brain’s full attention again as I continued. I straightened up under the weight of his gaze. “As for the Heartless, well, they’ve always been around, but they’re starting to turn up in bigger numbers than normal and I think the Master’s worried about it…” Wait, maybe it was better not to tell the newbie that? “…oh but you didn’t hear that from me! That’s why we’re gathering Lux too, not just defeating the darkness. You know Heartless are hearts that fell to darkness, right?” Brain nodded. Seems like my new partner already knew a lot! “That’s why they’re creatures. If you defeat them with the Keyblade, then you release the heart! I guess it purifies the darkness and that’s what makes Lux, but I’m not too sure on that one. As for me, uh, my purse is actually for holding the Lux you collect! And yes, the Master made me, but I don’t have any idea how, sorry.”

“Ah, I see.” He looked a bit disappointed at that, and I remembered that his book had been on synthesis. Did he like synthesis? I didn’t know anything about it though…

Scrambling to think of something to cheer him up instead, I remembered his request buried amidst the questions. “I guess you can look at me?” That did the trick; he brightened again, shifting into a cross-legged position as I moved closer to him. “But no poking!” I added as he raised a hand.

Brain grinned. “No poking, got it.” He settled a hand on my head instead, like Master Ava. “Hrm, your fur is very soft…” I closed my eyes as he scratched the top of my head lightly, fingers carding through my fur. That felt soooooo nice! His hand moved to my ear, making it twitch at the unexpected touch. He soothed it with a thumb. “Hrm, but your ear is more like velvet? And floppy, I wonder how they catch sound like that…” He flapped my ear a bit to demonstrate. It tickled, and I couldn’t help giggling quietly even as his hands slid around to either side of my head, turning it gently this way and that. “Stripes too… you’re like a cat, but not.”

“That’s ‘cause I’m a Chirithy,” I mumbled, only half paying attention because his fingers were scritching softly through my fur again. Maybe if I didn’t move, he’d keep going?

“Yep, you’re definitely a Chirithy,” Brain agreed, amusement clear in his voice. Sadly, he stopped petting me. I shook my head a bit to clear it and opened my eyes, to find him examining my purse closely, his hat pushed back to see better. “But you haven’t actually explained what a Chirithy _is_ ,” he added, taking my paws. “Aside from a companion.”

Hrm, I thought I had? Maybe it got lost in that big stream of questions… “I’m a Spirit,” I informed him. At his confused look, I continued, “I can do some magic, but I’m not all that great at fighting, so I probably can’t help you in battle…” My shoulders slumped. So much for being a helpful companion…

“Hey, that’s okay,” Brain said, squeezing my paws gently in reassurance. He smiled at me when I looked up. “That makes two of us.”

Strangely, that did make me feel a little better.

“Oh! But I do know a lot of stuff, so if you need information, just ask me!” I could be useful like this, right? He did have an awful lot of questions earlier, and I had a feeling that wasn’t the end of it. My new partner seemed like the curious type. “I might not know, but I’ll do my best! I’m also here to just generally support you if you need anything, you know? So don’t hesitate to ask! Phew! Okay, I think that answered everything?”

Brain grinned cheerfully at me. “It did! Thanks, Chirithy.” He reached out and rubbed my head again. I puffed my chest out proudly beneath his hand. I’m not a repository of information for nothing!

“Do you have any other questions?”

His hat tipped down again, hiding his face as he looked off to the side. I was beginning to get a better idea of how to read his hat-language though, and knew he was embarrassed. Ah-hah, he totally did have questions!

“Yeah, a few.”

Oh boy. “You actually mean a lot, don’t you?” I asked shrewdly.

“You said I could ask questions,” Brain pointed out, “and no-one else has any answers. Well, Master Ava might, but I can’t take up all her time.”

Geez, what had I got myself into?

Still, something about the way Brain was still sitting there – the way he’d paid attention to everything I’d told him – the way his hat was still pulled down low over his eyes like a barrier – the way he’d smiled at me earlier, and patted my head… _this was my new partner_. It was my job to look after him.

I sighed, but it was mostly for show. “Okay, but one at a time this time, alright?”

He brightened again. Geez, he got so excited over something so small! Did no-one ever answer his questions? Still, seeing him happier made me happy too, so I didn’t mind too much.

“Thanks, Chirithy,” he said gratefully, leaning back on his hands. I settled down next to him. “Hrm, where to start… you said you were a Spirit? What’s that?”

Ah, guess we might be here a while…

**+++**

The stars gleamed brightly in the night sky above me as I wandered across the rooftops of Daybreak Town. There were still a few people out and about, milling around in the lamp-lit streets. None of them noticed me high above their heads, but that was exactly why I had come up here. Brain had long since left for home, our conversation on the hilltop ending when we noticed the sun was starting to set. He had extended an offer to go home with him – a bit awkwardly, like he wasn’t used to inviting people – but the excitement of finally having a partner had left me feeling restless and Brain needed to sleep, so here I was instead, wandering the rooftops. Brain had seemed a little disappointed when I declined… but he’d grinned at my arm-waving reassurances that I’d be able to find him again tomorrow and crouched down to rub my head when he was saying goodbye… so it was probably okay, right?

I touched a paw to my heart, feeling the pale glow of our connection. It was still weak, but it was _there_ , proof that I had a partner now. I had a partner! I couldn’t help spinning around in glee, giddy with the happiness that coursed through my small body. Could Brain sense my feelings through our connection, the way he was a steady, calm ball of light in my chest to me? What did I feel like to him, I wondered?

Brain seemed like a good partner to have, even if he did ask a million questions. I’d have to do my best to guide and support him, and make sure he became the best Keyblade wielder he could be! The memory of Brain, asleep in the grass, gave me the inkling that my task might be just a little bit harder than I was expecting it to be.

…But still, what did that matter? Brain was my partner, and that made _me_ the right Chirithy for the job!

I leapt over the ridge of a roof, humming happily to myself, and bounced down the other side… only to stop short at the sight of another Chirithy sitting on the tiles, staring up at the sky. “Oh! Sorry! I didn’t see you there!” I said in surprise, stumbling to a stop beside them. “Hi, Chirithy!”

They startled, head whipping around to look at me with wide eyes. Huh, guess they must not have heard me coming. “Hi, Chirithy,” they said after a moment, relaxing again. “It’s okay, I was just looking at the stars. They’re really bright tonight.”

I plonked down onto the roof tiles beside them, tipping my head back to stare up at the stars as well. “Huh, you’re right.” I raised a paw, tracing a pattern between a few of them. “Maybe the worlds they belong to are just feeling really happy.”

The other Chirithy made a quiet noise that sounded suspiciously like laughter, but there was only consideration on their face when I glanced towards them. “Hrm… maybe. I don’t know if it works like that.”

“Well, I bet Daybreak Town shines very brightly to the other worlds out there,” I said confidently. How could it not shine like the dawn, with all its Keyblade wielders – here, at the centre of all worlds?

My companion made a noise of agreement. I continued to trace out patterns in the stars above as I hummed quietly – Master Ava’s fox mask, the Moogle who ran the shop in town, a Keyblade. I had just finished making something that creatively resembled Brain’s hat when the other me commented, “You seem full of energy.”

I sat up, waving my arms enthusiastically. “I met my new partner today!” I exclaimed, my chest puffing out with pride.

The other Chirithy perked up, ears twitching. “Oh, really? How are they?”

“Hrm…” I crossed my arms, tilting my head to the side as I tried to think of the best way to describe my new partner. “Well… to be honest, he’s a bit of a strange one.”

My words startled a laugh out of my companion, which they quickly covered with a paw. “Oh really?” they asked, voice muffled. I nodded vigorously.

“Yeah! He asked so many questions… my mouth is tired from talking so much…”

The other me nodded, still looking amused. “Well, curiosity isn’t a bad trait,” they pointed out.

No, it wasn’t a bad trait. It was far better that Brain be curious about things than indifference. And Brain had seemed so pleased to get his questions answered – it had felt good to be the one to make him brighten up like that. I wanted to make sure that the gleam in his eye never died out. “Yeah… I’m glad that he’s mine,” I replied softly, feeling that soft glow in my chest again. My paws curled in determination. “I’m gonna do my best to guide him!” It was my first time being anyone’s Spirit partner, after all! I had to make sure to do it right!

“That’s what we’re here for,” the other Chirithy agreed, nodding.

Despite my confident declaration, I couldn’t help but feel kinda nervous about the whole thing, though. Brain would be depending on me to be a good partner, but what exactly did that mean? I’d woken up in the Master’s workroom with my purpose as a guide and companion already engraved in my bones, but how were we actually meant to go about ‘guiding our wielders down the path of light’? Was there some kind of trick to it or… suddenly I didn’t feel quite as prepared as I had this morning. Meeting Brain had made my hypothetical task much more real.

“I don’t really know what I should be doing, though,” I confessed to the other Chirithy, slumping a bit. “How do you guide people…?” I paused for a second, straightening up with a sudden thought. “Wait, do you have a wielder?” There were still a few of us around who hadn’t been introduced to their partners yet.

The other me nodded. “I do. She has a lot of experience though, so she doesn’t really need much guiding.” They looked up at the stars again. “She’s very focused on making sure she follows the path her heart sets for her.”

“Oh…” I considered this. “Well, that probably makes your job a lot easier, right?”

“You’d think so,” the other Chirithy said wryly, and didn’t say anything more.

Huh, well, that was cryptic. I looked down at the street below, watching the last few people out on the streets making their way home. Was Brain already asleep? My paw found its way back to my chest, resting over my heart; the glow inside still steady and calm. It still felt weak, though; was it supposed to be like that? I snuck a glance at my companion, wondering if I should ask. It sounded like they’d had a partner for a while now. Somehow, though, it seemed a little too personal to ask something like that. They were a Chirithy just like me, and likely wouldn’t be offended by me asking, but… I didn’t really want to share this with anyone. Brain was my partner, my charge to watch over.

“If you’re looking for something to do…” The other me spoke up suddenly, startling me out of my thoughts. Hopefully, it was too dark for them to notice the way I jumped. “There have been reports of new Heartless around town. You could get your wielder to look into it?”

“Oh?” I replied, perking up in interest. New Heartless around town? I hadn’t smelled anything like that, but maybe it was a rare kind of Heartless? That was troubling news, however: Heartless in Daybreak Town. There was always some here and there, though… you’d think that they’d stay away from a place filled with people who could fight them, but I guess the call of the light and the strong hearts here overrode any other kind of instinct.

Finding Heartless around town _would_ be good training, and it would be good to start in a familiar environment… but the memory of Brain’s uncertain grip on his Keyblade had me hesitating. “Oh… he’s still new though,” I said, thinking it over. Brain’s voice echoed in my head, the memory of his hands holding mine:

_That makes two of us._

That’s right, we were both new at this, weren’t we? “We should probably start with something easier and work up from there,” I decided with a nod. I’d have to see what low-level missions there were to do in the morning before I met up with Brain.

The other Chirithy patted me on the back. “See? You’re a natural, no need to worry,” they told me reassuringly. “Your wielder is in good paws.”

“You really think so?” I asked hopefully.

“Mm. You’ll both be fine.”

Their words made me feel a little more confident in myself. After all, Brain and I had gotten along well this afternoon despite how it had begun, hadn’t we? And okay, maybe I wasn’t expecting to have to answer a million questions at once, but I had liked being able to help my wielder like that. Like the other me had said, curiosity was a good trait, and surely I wouldn’t have to answer a million questions all the time, right?

I leaned back, contemplating the stars once more. Yeah, Brain had seemed happy to learn things, and I’m sure there were things even I would learn as well. We could find our way down this path together.

“…Yeah,” I agreed, feeling content.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> re Brain's Keyblade, I know we don't actually know what it is (though I have various headcanons..... come on Nomura please tell us) but assume in this ficverse that everyone summons Starlight as their default first blade, and then it morphs into a more personalised one later when their hearts have evolved a bit more.
> 
> Thanks for reading!! Next chapter will be up within a few days, hopefully.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chirithy is trying his best! Brain is too... in his own way.

Well, one thing I had learned over the past few weeks: waiting around was the _worst_.

I was waiting for Brain by the fountain, but as usual, he was late. Usually I just waited until he eventually turned up, but the morning wore on and on and there was still no sign of that distinctive hat in the crowd. 

Our bond was still kinda weak, so it took me a few tries to appear in the right place. Surprisingly, where I ended up was not the hill overlooking Daybreak Town like I’d expected, but a cosy apartment in one of the quieter areas of town – I could see the clocktower through one of the large windows.

Everywhere I looked – the desk, the floor, the tables and chairs – there were books stacked higher than me. Bookshelves lined the walls, and _they_ were crammed full of books too. There might have even been a bed, but if there was, it was also buried under an avalanche of books. I poked my head around a tower of books and caught sight of Brain hunched over a desk next to the window, his back to me.

“Wooow, this is where you live?!” I asked incredulously. This was my first time seeing his home. How did he move around with all this stuff everywhere? How did anyone _own_ this many books? I hadn’t thought there were this many books in all of Daybreak Town!

Brain jolted upright in surprise – guess he wasn’t used to my appearing act yet – and half-turned in his seat, looking for the source of the voice. When he caught sight of me, he relaxed and grinned. “Oh, hey Chirithy,” he said cheerfully, raising a hand in a wave. Greetings done, he turned back to his desk and whatever he had been looking at as I tried my best to slip between piles of precariously stacked books without knocking them over.

“It’s so messy!” I complained, finally reaching the desk. “Don’t you ever clean up around here?” I hopped up onto a stack of books beside the desk, peering over the edge to see what Brain was so focused on. It was a book. I don’t know what else I was expecting, to be honest. No wonder he had so many questions to ask all the time!

Brain peered down at me, hat leaving his eyes in shadow. “Well, it’s not messy if I know where everything is,” he pointed out reasonably.

“I don’t think that’s how it works…” I replied, extremely sceptical. Brain just grinned and rubbed my head gently for a moment before he returned to his book. I shook my head to clear it. Focus, Chirithy!

I drew myself up, crossing my arms and trying for a stern look on my face. Unfortunately, I don’t think my face is really made for stern looks, so Brain didn’t notice my glare. “You’re late!” I accused. “Again!” I’d been waiting at the fountain for aaaages, and he’d been here reading!

“Am I?” he asked absently, flipping over the page. A diagram took up half the page; it looked like a spell circle. He made a small noise of interest, peering closer. “What for?”

“Your Union mission! You’re supposed to be collecting Lux!”

“Ah, yeah, that,” Brain said, in the tone of someone remembering that this was, in fact, true. “Maybe later. I found this new book about spell-crafting down at the markets this morning, see?” He held the book up to show the cover to me. It certainly looked impressive, like one of those old and heavy books the Master had in his library. I was too busy squinting at the book to notice the excited gleam in my partner’s eyes, and by the time I looked back at him he had his nose buried in the pages once more. “It’s actually really interesting, so I’d rather finish reading it first.”

“Whaaaaaaat?!” I exclaimed, reeling backwards. The pile of books rocked under me, and I would have fallen over if it weren’t for Brain reaching out quickly to steady me. I recovered my balance and looked up at him incredulously. “That’s so lazy though!”

Brain shrugged. “Guess so.”

There was a long pause of silence, as Brain flipped through some more pages and I tried to think of something that would convince him to leave his book behind. Geez, I bet none of the other Chirithies had to deal with this…

Oh yeah, what had that other Chirithy told me about the other week? “I hear there’s a whole bunch of new Heartless all over town!” That was motivating, right?

“Oh?” Brain considered this with interest for a moment before giving a half-shrug. “Well, there’s other people better suited to fighting them than me,” he said, returning his attention to his book.

What?!

“So you’re just gonna read?” I exclaimed, waving my arms in agitation.

“Yup.” He didn’t look up.

How lazy! I waved my arms a few more times, trying desperately to think of something else to say. Brain glanced at me from the corner of his eye and sighed. He turned to face me, pushing his hat back for a better view. “I’m not great at physical fighting,” he explained. “My skills – they’re better suited to magic and potions.” He gestured to a workbench in a corner that I hadn’t noticed before, covered in glassware and other instruments that were similar to those in the Master of Masters’ workshop. It was also perhaps the only surface in his apartment _not_ covered in books. Brain turned back to me. “Don’t you think it makes more sense for someone like me to play support, rather than fight on the frontline?”

I considered this. I’d never actually seen Brain fight, so I had no way of knowing if this was the truth or just a lazy excuse. But looking around his home – the books and the workbench – made me feel like it probably was the truth. Besides, in the short time I’d known him, Brain had never lied to me. If there were secrets he wanted to keep, he just got annoyingly cryptic.

I sighed and slumped, my indignant anger draining away. “Well, when you put it that way…”

Being better at magic and potions didn’t mean he couldn’t fight though! He might not have a lot of battle experience but there were enemies you could defeat with magic more than brawn. Plus, if he teamed up with someone… but then again, I’d never really seen Brain talk to anyone aside from a few sentences here and there. He didn’t seem to have any other friends.

Kinda sad, if Master Ava and I are the only people he talks to…

Seeing my mood, Brain reached out and ran a hand over my head comfortingly. “What about collecting Lux?” I asked, peering up at him. “You can still do that though, right?”

Brain grinned at me. “Yeah, don’t worry. I’ll go when I’m finished, there’s still plenty of daylight left.” He turned back to his book, resettling his hat into place.

“Not at this rate,” I grumbled quietly. Brain’s grin widened, so I knew he’d heard me even though he kept his eyes on his book. Were all Keyblade wielders this stubborn? I crossed my arms, scowling up at him. “Geez, why did you even join a Union if you aren’t gonna do anything?”

Brain paused for a moment, halfway through turning a page. His hat cast his face in shadow despite the sun shining through the window. “It’s… my way of saying thank you to someone,” he said eventually, looking away from me as he spoke. “Guess I’m not doing a very good job of it though.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked, confused.

For a long moment, there was no reply. Then Brain sighed, and finally looked my way again. “Nothing you need to worry about, really,” he said, smiling crookedly as he leant against a hand. See? Incredibly cryptic. “I’ll go once I’ve finished reading this, I promise.”

I eyed his book. It was thick, and he was barely a third of the way through. “There’s so much left though,” I said doubtfully.

“Don’t worry, I read fast,” Brain replied easily, winking at me.

That was that. Grumbling quietly, I disappeared with the usual flip and puff of smoke. It was easier than trying to navigate that book maze again, but I felt kinda bad at the thought that my exit might have knocked some of them over.

I reappeared on a roof above the markets. Guess I had some time to kill now. Brain would call me when he was going on his mission… right? Staring down at the brightly coloured stalls, I watched for a while as people haggled over items and called greetings to each other. None of them noticed me, high on the roof.

Brain must have been here this morning to buy his book, I realised. Had he come specifically to buy it, I wondered, or did it just catch his eye on his way to meet me? It wasn’t too hard to imagine that bright gleam of curiosity in his eyes. Of course he’d want to read it straight away, even if I didn’t see the appeal in reading something that big and stuffy looking.

I flopped back against the tiles with a groan. Still though! That doesn’t mean he should! It was important that all the Keyblade wielders collect Lux, to fight the darkness. Ughh, why was my partner so lazy?!

The markets suddenly felt too noisy and too crowded. I disappeared again, wanting to find somewhere quiet, and found myself on the roof of the clocktower. This wasn’t where I had been aiming to go, but I wasn’t gonna complain! The view from up here was even _more_ amazing than the hill where I first met Brain.

I peered over the edge. “Woahhhh…” It was so far down! Actually, it was a little scary. I scooted further away from the edge and looked out over the town instead. I could see all the way to the Waterfront Park from here! Over there were the canyons beyond the city, and there was the hill that Brain loved to sleep on. Which house was his, I wondered.

I was still annoyed at him, but it would have been nice to share this view with him. I could already imagine that bright grin, that gleam of curiosity in his eyes. Or maybe he’d just take a nap; the breeze was gentle despite being up so high. Maybe he’d have questions.

Wait, no, this was Brain. He’d _definitely_ have questions.

I sighed. If only he put the same amount of energy into being a Keyblade wielder as he did into finding answers for things… how was I supposed to guide him if he didn’t do anything?

Beneath me, the clock began to chime, making the whole building tremble slightly. _Bong, bong, bong_ … it seemed I’d been here for longer than I thought. Brain still hadn’t called me – well, it _was_ a big book – so I stayed sitting where I was.

“You really shouldn’t be up here, you know.”

The voice startled me so much I lost my balance and almost fell off the roof! Luckily, the new arrival – another Chirithy, just like me – grabbed my cape and managed to stop me from falling. Phew! I would have been okay but man that would have been scary!!

“Thanks, Chirithy,” I said, then peered more closely at my rescuer. “Oh! It’s you!” It was the Chirithy I had met before on the rooftops.

“Sorry about that,” the other Chirithy said. “I didn’t mean to startle you. But really, you shouldn’t be up here. Only the Master of Masters and his apprentices are allowed to come here. It’s forbidden for anyone else.”

“Well, _you’re_ up here,” I pointed out. Aw man, guess I wouldn’t be able to show Brain the view from up here after all.

The other Chirithy looked startled, their eyes wide. “That’s different, I’m –” They paused, clearly considering things, and then shrugged. “Well, we can both be up here for now, I guess. But if someone comes, you have to leave.” They climbed up onto the stone railing beside me.

“Okay.” I didn’t quite understand, but it was nice to be around another me.

Both of us looked out over Daybreak Town. We sat in silence for a while, until the other Chirithy spoke up. “So how is your wielder?”

“Stubborn.” I crossed my arms. “And super lazy!!” Now that I’d started, it was hard to stop the complaints from falling out of my mouth. “He’s late all the time to missions ‘cause he always takes naps and I always have to go and find him! I bet it’s ‘cause he stays up super late to read every night! I never see him training and today he didn’t even go on his mission ‘cause he wanted to read!” I huffed.

“That sounds annoying,” the other Chirithy said sympathetically. “Maybe he doesn’t understand yet?”

I shook my head. “No, it’s not that. He’s super smart! He’s always asking questions, and he reads all the time…” Now that I thought about it, the books he read all the time were always about spells or synthesis.

_I’m not great at physical fighting. My skills – they’re better suited to magic and potions._

Maybe I was thinking about this the wrong way. Maybe all the reading _was_ Brain’s way of training, to make himself better at the things he thought he could do. “He does them eventually, I guess,” I conceded. He might be late all the time, but they did get done. “He doesn’t think he’s very strong. And he doesn’t have a party to help him.”

The other Chirithy nodded thoughtfully. “He’s only a new wielder, right?” I nodded. “Then he still has room to grow. It’s our job to believe in and support our partners so that they can flourish. And he’ll get better, because he’s got you to help him.”

“Yeah…” Talk about a big responsibility. “I hope we have time for that.”

We fell silent again. I contemplated my earlier thoughts. Maybe instead of complaining, I should believe in Brain more? I’d been so excited to get a partner that I hadn’t really paid attention to the partner I’d gotten. He didn’t do things the way most other wielders did, but then again, was it fair to expect him to be like other people? Our wielders weren’t like us Chirithies, identical copies of one another. Maybe I should try and find a way to guide Brain that fit him better.

“How about your wielder?” I asked curiously, turning to the other Chirithy.

“Mine?” the other me said, startled. “Oh… she’s been busy lately.”

“Well, that makes one of our wielders, at least,” I grumbled, but my heart wasn’t really in it anymore. The sky had darkened while the two of us had talked; night had fallen. Worry started to seep in; why hadn’t Brain called me? Was he alright? “I should probably go.”

The other Chirithy stood with me. “Me, too. My partner is probably wondering where I am.”

“Yeah… bye, Chirithy.”

“Bye, Chirithy,” the other me replied as I disappeared with a flip.

Brain’s apartment looked much the same as it had this morning when I reappeared. In the soft lamplight, the piles of books looked a little less intimidating. “Brain?” I called, looking around. Our connection had led me here, so he must be here as well.

I found him sound asleep at his desk, his head pillowed on his arms as he softly snored. The book he had been so intent on reading was closed under his arms, and I wondered if he had finished reading it. His hat was resting on a stack of books at his elbow. It was the first time I’d seen him without it, and I couldn’t help but stare. Asleep, without his hat, Brain looked oddly young.

“Geez, you didn’t even go,” I huffed softly, crossing my arms. “How lazy!”

Brain made no reply, still sound asleep. My annoyance fizzled out, replaced with exasperation. He was gonna hurt his back if he kept sleeping like that!

“You have a bed,” I scolded him, keeping my voice low. “It’s for sleeping! Not storing more books!”

No reply.

He might catch a cold if he stayed like that. With a sigh, I jumped off his desk and edged my way over to the bed. It took a bit of rummaging, but I managed to unearth a blanket. Better still, I managed to get it back to the desk and cover Brain without waking him up or knocking anything over, although I left a few stacks of books wobbling precariously in my wake. I stood back to admire my handiwork.

He must really be tired…

“There’s always tomorrow, I guess,” I said with a sigh. “We’ll work on it.”

**+++**

“Hey, Chirithy.”

A hand patted me on the head, startling me out of my thoughts. I twisted to the side and looked up, to find Brain smiling down at me. “Oh!” I cried, leaping to my feet. I hadn’t even heard him come up. To be honest, I hadn’t expected him to show up for at least another hour and I’d zoned out while staring across the plaza. “You’re here!”

Brain took a seat on the edge of the fountain next to me, leaning back on his hands. “I’m not always late, you know,” he said wryly.

I squinted up at him. “I’ll believe it when I see it.”

“I’m here now, aren’t I?” he pointed out, indicating himself with a sweep of his hand.

“Mm, I suppose so,” I conceded, not bothering to hide my scepticism. Brain huffed a quiet laugh. Rather than argue – which was smart, because did he really think he’d be able to win that argument? _I’m_ the one who’s had to sit here for hours every day – he instead produced a cloth-wrapped bundle and settled it on his lap.

“Here, I made us some breakfast,” he explained, unwrapping it. I leant in closer, curious, to watch as a bunch of muffins were revealed. They smelled fresh and tasty, like they’d just come out of an oven.

“Oh, it’s okay, I don’t need to eat,” I assured him absently, still peering at the muffins. They did look awfully tempting though…

Brain’s hands stilled. I looked up at his sudden silence and found him staring back at me. “Oh,” he said eventually. He looked off to the side, red dusting his cheeks. “I… didn’t consider that.”

Oh no, wait, he said he’d made these for us, didn’t he?! I did it again!! I waved my arms in a blind panic, wanting that sad look on his face to go away. “Wait, wait, wait –”

Brain reached out and set a hand on my head, stilling my stammering. “Don’t worry about it,” he said, smiling. “I probably should have thought about it more.” He shifted around so he was facing me. “So you don’t need to eat?” he asked curiously, picking up one of the muffins and tearing off a chunk. “How do you sustain yourself then? Do you absorb sunlight or something?”

He really had gotten a lot better at asking a reasonable amount of questions at one time. But what a question! “I’m a Chirithy, not a plant!” I scolded, glaring up at him. Brain grinned around his mouthful of muffin, holding his hands up in surrender. I sighed and decided to move on with the lecture. “You know how I said all Chirithies are linked with their partners, right?” He nodded. “Well, we survive off that connection too, ‘cause we’re Spirits. So if you’re healthy, I’m healthy!”

It didn’t just stop there, either. If our wielders turned to darkness – if they faded away – we would fade away as well. Our bond was serious business!

Brain considered this as he finished chewing. “Huh. Interesting.” He didn’t say anything more, or ask any more questions, which was a little odd for him. Still, he was halfway through eating, so maybe it was just good manners.

Speaking of which…

I eyed the muffins again. Part of me already regretted turning them down, not just because they smelt so nice but also because Brain must have got up early for once to make them for us. It would be awfully rude _not_ to eat one…

“But!” I announced, reaching out to swipe a muffin from his lap, “just ‘cause I don’t need to eat, doesn’t mean I can’t!” I could feel Brain watching in bemusement as I took a bite. My eyes widened in surprise at how light and fluffy they were. “Wooow, you made these?! They taste so good!”

Brain blinked at me as I devoured the rest of the muffin. “Thanks.” He held out another muffin with clear amusement, but I didn’t mind. A grin was miles better than the sad look on his face before.

“I didn’t know you were good at cooking,” I mumbled around a mouthful of muffin.

Brain shrugged. “Well, baking’s pretty much like synthesis, just different ingredients, and I’m good at synthesis.”

Huh. I hadn’t thought of it like that.

Synthesis made me think of the numerous piles of books at his home. I remembered my resolution from yesterday, to find a way to guide Brain that worked better with his skills. Potions and spells and synthesis – although he really did need to learn how to properly wield a Keyblade too. “…Did you finish your book? The one you were reading yesterday?”

Brain looked surprised, as though he hadn’t expected me to ask. I guess that was fair; it wasn’t like I’d really asked about his books before. “Yeah, I did.”

Woah, he read the whole thing?! No wonder he’d fallen asleep at his desk. I scrambled to think of something else to ask. Even if I didn’t have much of an interest in books or spells myself, _Brain_ did, and I should pay attention to the things my partner liked. Maybe it would help me understand him better. Luckily, a memory of the day we met, and Master Ava’s conversation came to my rescue. “Was it any good?”

His brows rose, disappearing under his hat. I waited patiently while he narrowed his eyes at me, probably wondering about the sudden interest. After a few moments’ hesitation, he shrugged and went back to breaking apart a new muffin. “It had some useful information,” he said vaguely.

“Uh-huh,” I replied encouragingly, waving for him to continue.

He eyed me again but kept going. “There was some stuff about healing I hadn’t read about before – there’s a spell level even higher than Curaga, apparently, although that’s no use now considering I’m still learning how to cast Cure. Healing magic is harder than the other elemental spells, unfortunately. There were some spell matrixes that I think I can adapt into some of my other work though, so it was worth it even for that alone.”

“Woah, you’re making your own spells?!” I exclaimed, wide-eyed. This was news to me! It was hard enough for most Keyblade wielders just to learn how to cast most of the common magic. Making up new ones entirely was usually left to Master-level wielders – currently, only the Foretellers. Brain really was super smart if he could figure out something like that at his level!

“Well, I’m trying,” Brain said dryly. “Oh, that reminds me – here.” He reached into a pocket with his free hand and brought forth a fistful of shining crystals – Lux.

“Oh!! You _did_ go!” When had he done that?!

“I said I would,” Brain replied. He grinned suddenly. “Why, did you think I wouldn’t?” He gave me a teasing tap on the forehead with the hand holding the Lux.

“Yes,” I replied bluntly. Internally, I winced. I really had to stop blurting out my thoughts like that…

“Ouch.” Brain said mildly, grinning. He tipped the Lux into my open purse. “Well, I guess I can understand.”

Oh no, I was supposed to be complaining less! “Good job on collecting it though!” I cheered, waving my arms for emphasis. “I’m proud of you!”

“Thanks, Chirithy.” Brain tipped his hat low, hiding his face from view. It was no use though; I already knew what that meant.

“You should summon me next time, though!” I added. “I was worried when you didn’t.”

That got his attention; Brain blinked at me in surprise. “You were worried…?” His surprise quickly became a smirk. “Doesn’t that mean you _did_ think I’d go?” His smirk widened into a proper grin when I grumbled and swatted at his leg in reply. “I’m sorry, though. I completely forgot.” To complete his apology, Brain offered me the last muffin.

Hmph. Well, I suppose I could forgive him this once. Since the muffins were so nice.

“So, what are we doing today?” Brain asked as he shook the crumbs off the towel and folded it back up neatly, before stowing it away in a pocket. The question caught me off-guard – before now, I’d just sort of wandered around following Brain where he went. Still, a bit of quick thinking had my answer ready in no time.

“Hrm… I heard of an area that’s good for newbies like you!” I said thoughtfully. “Potions and spells might be your specialty, but you do need to learn how to use the Keyblade too!”

“Newbie, huh? Guess I can’t argue with that,” Brain said, getting to his feet. “Well, lead the way then.”

**+++**

After that, it seemed like Brain was at least making a little bit more of an effort to not be so late all the time. In return, I tried to be less grumpy about him reading all the time – and honestly, didn’t he get bored doing that? – but that didn’t mean I still wouldn’t go mad at him for slacking off!

Like now, apparently. Brain had wanted to spend the morning at the library and meet up in the afternoon, so I’d spent the time wandering around town. He hadn’t been at the library when I arrived, nor was he at his apartment, so with a sigh I headed for the next most likely place: the hill on the outskirts of town.

I trudged up the hill with only a little bit of grumbling, as I could sense that Brain was indeed ahead of me. Sure enough, when I crested the hill there he was: sleeping, hat tipped low over his face to block out the sun and one arm resting on his stomach.

“Here you are!” I groused, making my way over to his side.

Brain opened one eye lazily, saw me standing there and closed it again. “Oh, hey Chirithy,” he greeted me, smiling in welcome despite his eyes being closed. “What’s up?”

“I’ve been looking everywhere for you, and you’ve just been out here taking a nap!” I told him, crossing my arms – not that he could see. Alright, so I hadn’t had to look very hard, but I bet he would have been even more late if I hadn’t tried to find him!

Brain shrugged, tipping his hat up slightly with a finger to look at me. “It’s a nice day for a nap,” he said simply, patting the ground beside him in invitation.

“You’re always napping,” I grumbled. He was right though – the sun was lovely and warm, and the grass looked comfy and inviting. Maybe a few minutes wouldn’t hurt? It’s not like we’d had plans for this afternoon anyway. I plonked myself down in the spot Brain had indicated, leaning back against his stomach. “Maybe if you actually went to sleep at a normal hour…”

I shifted around, trying to get comfortable, and bumped Brain’s arm. His sharp inhale had me sitting up immediately; that was a sound of pain. “You’re hurt!”

Brain winced, but didn’t try to deny it. “Just my arm.”

“Show me!” I demanded. Brain sighed, but obediently held out his arm so that I could see what had been hidden earlier by his body. A burn mark, puffy and angry red against the pale skin of his arm, stretching from elbow to wrist. Now that I was looking closer, I could see the edge of his sleeve was tattered and charred as well.

“Don’t worry,” Brain offered as I hovered over his arm anxiously, examining it. It looked _painful_. “I used a potion on it earlier, so it’s looking better than it did. Was just gonna nap here while it finished healing.”

Brain always made his own potions, and they did work remarkably well. Still, it didn’t do much to soothe the worry churning in my stomach. I hadn’t sensed _anything_. “What happened?!”

He looked sheepish. “Forgot to guard. Got hit by a fireball.”

Yeah, no kidding!

From the position of the burn, he must have thrown an arm up instead to catch the blow. He was lucky it wasn’t worse! “Stay here for a minute!” I commanded, the harshness of my tone at odds with the careful way I put his arm down.

“Okay?” was the confused reply as I disappeared with a flip and a puff of smoke, reappearing in Brain’s apartment. He’d shown me where he kept the first aid kit – in easy reach near his workbench – and I hurried to it and rummaged through its contents until I found what I was looking for.

“Ah-hah!”

I puffed back. Brain hadn’t moved an inch, still looking confused. The confusion cleared immediately at seeing the bandage in my paws. “Ah, you don’t have to do that, Chirithy. It’ll heal soon anyway.”

I wound the bandage around his arm, concentrating on making sure it wasn’t too tight. “You got hurt. Maybe I can’t do any spells or make potions to help fix it, but I can do something like this at least, even if it’s small and unnecessary.”

Brain’s arm twisted, his hand catching and holding my paw. I looked up at him and he smiled gratefully, grey eyes kind. “Thanks, Chirithy.” His hand squeezed my paw gently and let go.

“Of course!” Aaaaaah, what did I even say to that? “Just… take better care of yourself!”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Silence reigned for a few moments as I focused on bandaging his arm properly. The worry that had set all my fur on end was slowly starting to subside and I could finally think about things properly again. “Wait, why were you getting hit by fireballs anyway?” I asked, confused. “I thought you were going to the library?”

Brain sighed, throwing his uninjured arm across his face. “Well, I _was_ , but I got asked by a couple of others on the way if I’d help them fight some Heartless and I figured, why not?” He peeked out at me from under his arm. “You keep saying I should get more experience, and I’m not so bad in a group fight.”

“Except for getting hit by fireballs, apparently.”

“Except for that, yeah,” he agreed.

I finished wrapping his arm and tied the bandage off, tucking the ends in carefully. Brain uncovered his face, bringing his bandaged arm up for closer inspection. I’d done a pretty good job, if I did say so myself! While he examined the wrappings, I looked over him with a critical eye. “Your magic levels are low,” I commented, pushing his hat out of the way to lay a paw on his forehead. No fever of a magic-crash, that was good. His levels were lower than they should be – almost embers, really – but not critically low. “How’s your head?”

“Got a headache,” Brain admitted. “Luckily my magic stamina is fairly high, ‘cause I didn’t have any Ethers with me. Need to –” He yawned widely. “– to make some.”

I hummed in reply, still worried. Brain must have seen the look on my face, because he knocked a knuckle gently against my forehead. “Nothing a nap won’t solve,” he said with a confident smile. He picked me up and settled me back where I had been sitting earlier, before leaning back again. “Nap with me?”

“Wellllll, I don’t _need_ to sleep…” I said slowly. Brain hummed, though whether it was from curiosity or acknowledgement, I wasn’t sure. He already looked half-asleep; he really did need the rest. I couldn’t help glancing towards the bandage on his arm. He kept going off and doing things without me, and next time it might be worse than just a burn! “…But I guess I should stay and keep an eye on you.”

Brain smiled sleepily at me, closing his eyes as he tugged his hat back into place. “Thanks, Chirithy.” He waited for me to wiggle into a more comfortable position, before settling his injured arm around me. “G’night.”

“Sleep well,” I replied, but he was already asleep.

I set my paws gently on the bandaged arm encircling me and sighed. “You should take better care of yourself, you know?” I told Brain’s sleeping form. “Even if you’re okay with playing support to everyone else, you need to let someone look out for you too, or else you’ll end up like this again.”

That was supposed to be me. But how could I look after Brain when he never took me along anywhere? He hadn’t even called me when he’d gotten hurt; if I hadn’t come looking for him, I wouldn’t have known. Was I just not a very good Chirithy? No, not that, he always seemed glad of my company when we were together. It’s like he just forgot about me when we were apart…

My ears drooped. It was hard, thinking about all this stuff. It made my head hurt and my heart beat painfully inside me.

“Why didn’t you call me…?”

**+++**

It was some hours later – after I had woken Brain and seen him home to rest properly – that I found myself on top of the clocktower again, looking down at Daybreak Town. Unfortunately, even the bright colours of the town did little to shake my gloomy mood.

“Hi, Chirithy.” Behind me, the other me appeared.

“Oh… hi, Chirithy,” I replied glumly, not looking around.

The other Chirithy came to sit beside me. “I see you’re back again, even though you know you shouldn’t be here.”

“Yeah…” Honestly, I didn’t know why I’d come back here. “I just wanted someplace to think about some stuff.” Not that I’d really been thinking about it. More like wallowing, but I didn’t want to admit that.

They nodded. “Do you wanna talk about it?” they offered.

Maybe this other me might have some ideas? I sighed. “He never calls for me,” I mumbled to my feet.

“Who? Your wielder?”

“Yeah.”

“He’s ignoring you?” The other Chirithy sounded worried, but I shook my head. That would have been an easier problem to deal with.

“No… he’s always happy to see me and talk to me.” Memories of Brain waving hello, or rubbing my head to reassure me, or cheerfully grinning at the sight of me ran through my head. “But he never calls for me,” I complained. “I always have to turn up on my own or else he goes off by himself. He even got hurt today and didn’t think to summon me! It’s like he doesn’t want my help. How am I supposed to guide him when he won’t let me?” I sighed, my whole body slumping with the force of it. “He’s got so much potential… I don’t want to see it go to waste.”

“You think he might turn to darkness?”

“No way!” I exclaimed. The muffins he’d made me; the potions he’d made that I’d seen him giving away to other Keyblade wielders, part of his Union or not; the nights he spent reading, learning everything he could to better support the people around him… he may not go the most conventional way about it, but Brain liked to help people. “Maybe he’s lazy when it comes to physical stuff, but his heart is definitely light!”

“That’s good,” the other Chirithy said. “We can’t afford to lose any of them.” They crossed their arms and tilted their head in thought. “Well, some of our wielders need a lot of guidance, it’s true. But we’re meant to be companions too. From everything you’ve told me, sounds to me like your wielder is already sure of the path he wants to take. Maybe what he needs is a friend, more than a guide.”

“But we are friends!” I protested. Weren’t we? “We’re a team.”

“Does he know that?” the other Chirithy replied shrewdly.

“He _should_ , if he’s as smart as I think he is,” I grumbled, folding my arms. My thoughts, however, held much less conviction. _Did_ Brain know we were friends? He still didn’t seem to interact with anyone that much; maybe he didn’t have anything to compare us to. Or maybe he didn’t consider us friends at all? I guess I did tend to scold him a lot…

“You should talk to him,” the other me urged before I could start wallowing. “Good communication is an important part of any relationship. He might be smart, but he can’t read minds,” they added wryly.

“Yeah… good point.” I was feeling much more energised now. I leapt to my feet. “Alright! I’ll prove to him that we _are_ friends!”

“Maybe not right now, though?” my companion suggested. “It’s night-time now, after all.”

Whoops. I hadn’t realised I’d been up here for that long! Brain would probably be asleep now… hopefully he was actually using his bed this time, especially after he’d been injured. “Yeah, you’re right,” I said, deflating a bit. The other Chirithy got to their feet, patting me on the back.

“Well, it sounds like you’ve got a plan!” they said encouragingly. “And remember, let your heart be your guiding key!”

I looked at them in surprise, but they’d already disappeared.

“Let my heart be my guiding key…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I always find it amusing that Brain professes himself lazy the second we meet him and yet you cannot tell me he has gotten a decent hour of sleep at any point in the current series of events with the amount of work he's putting in around the tower to figure things out. Take a break, Brain!
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brain and Chirithy figure some things out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who commented/kudos'd/bookmarked!! I really appreciate it!

Brain wasn’t at the fountain the next morning.

That wasn’t so surprising; he’d been exhausted yesterday and I usually arrived way before he did anyway – and today I was practically vibrating with energy! What _was_ surprising, though, was the figure cloaked in pink perched on the fountain rim where I would normally meet Brain.

“Master Ava!” I hurried over to her; luckily, it was early enough that there wasn’t a crowd of people to dodge. “What are you doing here?”

“Oh! Chirithy, good morning,” Master Ava said, smiling down at me. Just like Brain, her smiles were always so kind. “Are you Brain’s Chirithy?”

“Yep! That’s me!” I said proudly. Wait, but if she was asking me that… “Oh no, is Brain okay? Are you looking for him?”

“He’s okay,” she reassured me, and I breathed a sigh of relief. “I was talking to him earlier… but I’m afraid you just missed him,” she continued in an apologetic tone.

“Whaaat?! But it’s so early?” I protested, confused. There was no way Brain would have been here _that_ early, right? And if he had been, where was he now?

…oh wait, Brain was part of Vulpes, wasn’t he? Whoops, I probably shouldn’t be complaining in front of his boss…! “I mean...”

Master Ava laughed, covering her mouth with a hand. “Yes, I know, I was surprised too.” Oh yeah, Master Ava already knew what Brain was like. Phew! “He was waiting to share these with you, I think.” She unwrapped something on her lap and held it out to me: a muffin.

“Oh, yum, thank you!” I reached out eagerly, taking the muffin with both paws. Yep, smelt just as fresh and tasty as last time. “Have you tried these? They’re amazing! He makes them himself!” Mmm, still tasted just as nice as last time too.

Master Ava didn’t bother to hide her giggle this time. “Yes, they are, aren’t they? He’s very talented.”

“He is,” I agreed, feeling warm. “I wonder where he went, though…”

“Ah, that’s my fault,” Master Ava said. “I asked him to look into some new rumours of Heartless in the Dwarf Woodlands for me. Some of the younger members have been having trouble there.”

“He went on a mission? But he had magic exhaustion yesterday! He shouldn’t be doing anything that needs a lot of magic today!” I exclaimed in concern. “We were just gonna do some training…”

Worry crossed Master Ava’s face. “Oh dear… I hope he’ll be alright…”

“I can’t believe he went off by himself again! We’re meant to be a team!” I huffed. Still though – I had time to catch up. Before, I’d only ever found out after Brain had already returned. This time, I’d follow him! “Master Ava, it was Dwarf Woodlands, right?”

“Yes. Are you going after him?” Master Ava asked, getting to her feet. At my determined nod, she smiled, and held out a hand. “I’ll make a portal for you then.”

A few paces away, a portal of light unfolded to tower over our heads, ribbons of energy twisting around each other. Master Ava dropped her hand and turned to face me, tucking her robes around her as she crouched down.

“Don’t be too mad at him,” she advised, a rueful note in her voice. “I don’t think Brain really knows yet what to do with people who want to be close to him.”

“Yeah…” Even if he did his best to help people, Brain kept to himself a lot. He really _didn’t_ have a lot of friends… which it was why it was all the more important that he realised our bond! Even if I had to yell at him to make him realise!

“I think you’re a good match for him, though,” Master Ava continued, a soft smile on her face. “He’s been a lot livelier lately.” She reached out to rub my head. “I’m glad Brain has you to support him.”

“I’m glad he has me too,” I replied without thinking, and then immediately ducked my head in embarrassment. Brain’s hat would really come in handy right now! “I mean, thank you.”

However, Master Ava just giggled and gave me a final pat on the head before straightening. I turned to face the portal. Once I got through to the other side, I should be able to sense Brain enough to know where to find him. Here goes!

“Good luck!” Master Ava called after me as I disappeared into the bright light.

.  
.  
.

The forest I arrived in was dark and filled with tall, intimidating trees – in other words, kinda scary! Behind me, Master Ava’s portal closed, leaving me alone in this creepy forest. I looked around, on the slim hope that I might catch sight of that distinctive hat and feather. No such luck, though.

“Well, better get looking then,” I sighed to myself. Brain was somewhere up ahead, so I started off in that direction. Luckily, there was a faint path leading in the same direction that I was able to use.

Much like always, Brain felt calm on the other end of our link. I didn’t quite believe it – I never seemed to sense when he was in trouble – but it was still oddly reassuring as I trudged between glowering trees. I’d seen no sign of Heartless yet, but the stench of their darkness was everywhere. Bleagh.

Up ahead, the air seemed a little bit lighter and I realised that I was nearing the edge of the forest. My legs sped up of their own accord, eager to be out of the dank and gloom. I was so intent on reaching the edge of the forest that I almost missed the sounds of battle, the clang of a Keyblade and a strong voice calling:

“Fira!”

_Oh no, Brain!_

I dashed to the tree line, catching the trunk of a tree and skidding to a stop to survey the scene. A beautiful flower glade – that’s right, I remembered this place. Brain had taken a break in the middle of a mission once to take a nap amongst the flowers, and he had looked so peaceful that I hadn’t the heart to scold him when he finally woke up.

The flower glade was anything but peaceful now. Heartless swarmed over it, trampling the flowers into the ground as they attempted to reach the boy with the Keyblade dancing amongst them. Brain wasn’t the most graceful of fighters yet, but he also wasn’t prone to the time-wasting flourishes I saw a lot of newbies use in the mistaken hope of seeming cool. There was a simplicity and economy of movement to the way he fought that made me sure that one day he’d be a strong fighter, no matter what he thought of himself. For now, though, it was a good way to conserve energy, because Brain’s stamina was _awful._

Brain slashed sideways with his Keyblade, destroying a Shadow and quickly retreating before another two closed in. A quick Aero blasted back a few more creeping in from the side, and he retreated a few more steps, circling around the edge of the swarm. I recognised his strategy – it was his usual method of dealing with solo fights: keep his distance and attack with magic from afar, since his magical stamina far outweighed his physical ability.

Another Fira blasted away some plant-like Heartless, releasing hearts into the sky. Brain ducked a wild swing from a Large Body and attempted a counterattack; I winced as his blow rebounded, sending him stumbling back.

It was clear that Brain had been staying on the outskirts to stop the Heartless surrounding him, but his stumble broke his focus for enough time that one managed to circle behind him. It raised its claws for an attack – Brain, come on – oh no, he hadn’t seen it–!!

“Brain!! Watch out!!” I called without thinking, breaking away from the tree line. Panic had my heart hammering in my chest, but Brain managed to whirl in time to block the blow with his Keyblade, casting another Aero to blow it back.

“Chirithy?!” he replied incredulously. “What are you doing here?”

“You left me behind!” Well, this wasn’t exactly how I’d intended to have this conversation, but the fear and worry that had been building up inside me finally burst free. “Well, this time I – ack!”

A couple of Shadows had taken advantage of both our momentary distraction to break away from the fight and make a beeline for me! I stumbled backwards, caught off guard. Unfortunately, Shadows can move much faster than Chirithies and they caught up with me quickly. “Aaaa!”

“Chirithy! Watch out!”

A spinning whirlwind of gold flashed between the Heartless and me, freezing them solid. I blinked in shock; that was a Blizzard Raid! When had Brain learnt how to do that?! The spinning Keyblade circled back, smashing through the Heartless it had frozen solid as Brain sprinted towards me. He tried to grab the returning Keyblade and missed, but kept running with only a breathless curse, skidding to a stop in front of me.

“Chirithy! Are you okay??” he asked frantically, chest heaving as he braced his hands on his knees.

I stared up at him, those grey eyes so wide and filled with worry. The bond between us jangled and jittered, so far from its usual calm that all I could think of to say in my shock was, “That was……… _so_ uncool. Who misses their Keyblade like that?”

Brain stared at me blankly for a few moments before he grinned, wide and relieved, and let his head fall. His shoulders shook with breathless laughter. “Yeah, okay, you’re okay… that’s great. That’s really good.” Brain looked up again and smiled, reaching out to pat me on the head. “I’m glad you’re okay.” Warmth bloomed in my heart at the way the bond between us shone bright with relief, at the reassurance that Brain _did_ care about me. I bounced on my feet, wanting to return that feeling somehow, to let Brain know I cared about him just as much.

We’d forgotten about the Heartless again. Two of them dived towards us, sensing opportunity. Talk about a mood-breaker! My eyes widened. “Behind you!”

Brain’s Keyblade was too far out of reach, hidden amongst the flowers. Still, that didn’t deter him. At my warning shout, he was already swinging around, fire building in the palm of one hand. “Fire!”

The flames struck the Heartless squarely and they dissolved, hearts and Lux spilling out of them. Brain shook out his hand with a wince. “Not burnt,” he reassured me, noticing my worried glance. “Just easier to channel that through the Keyblade. Speaking of…” He held out his other hand, frowning in concentration. With a metallic _shing_ and a flash of light, his Keyblade reappeared in his outstretched hand. “There,” he finished with satisfaction.

“Here they come!” I called, peeking around his leg to see the rest of the Heartless start to swarm in our direction. The Large Body from earlier beat its chest and flung itself towards us, glowing orange. “Uh-oh!”

“That’s not good,” Brain muttered. The next second, I found myself hoisted into the air, Brain’s arm holding me securely around the waist.

“Woah!” I cried in alarm, waving my arms.

Brain leapt out of the way of the Large Body, stumbling a bit as he landed. Not a moment too soon either, as the Large Body crashed into the trees where we had been standing with a loud _crack!_ Brain and I watched the trees shudder and sway with the force of the impact, eyes wide.

“Well, that’s alarming,” I said, ears flattening against my skull. Brain made a noise of agreement. “Wait, here it comes again!”

The glowing orange Heartless hurtled towards us again, even faster than before. Brain couldn’t get completely out of the way this time, and it clipped the arm not holding me. He hissed in pain, but still swung around and aimed a Blizzara at the Heartless’ retreating back. His aim was a little off, but the giant Heartless still turned into a giant popsicle, shattering to pieces after a moment.

“Nice one!” I cheered. “Are you okay though?”

“I’m alright,” he replied, but the slight grimace on his face said otherwise. He blocked another set of claws swiping at his face and managed to land a solid counterstroke. Another quick Fire spell took out another Heartless before Brain had to dance quickly backwards to avoid being hit. “There’s more of them than I’d like, though.”

Being held close like this made it easy to tell that Brain was starting to run out of steam. His breathing grew more and more ragged; his dodges a little slower, his blows a little weaker. His arm trembled against my fur. “You should put me down,” I told him, worried. Being in the middle of a battlefield alone would be scary, but the thought of Brain getting injured because of me was even scarier!

“What? No!” he said, distracted as he blocked another attack. “That’s a bad idea, Chirithy!”

“Why?!”

“You might get hurt!” he protested. “I can’t protect you if I don’t know where you are.” He spun out of the way of another attack, panting. “Besides, you’re not heavy, I’m just tired.”

Teleporting out wasn’t gonna be an option either; I didn’t have enough clear space or time and besides, something in my heart rebelled against leaving Brain here alone against so many Heartless. “Well, you’re gonna need both hands free if you wanna fight better,” I told him worriedly. “You’re not used to swinging that thing around one-handed so much, no wonder you’re tired.”

“Good point,” Brain said. “Hrm.” He blocked an attack and spun his Keyblade in a neat counterattack that managed to take out two of the attacking Shadows. A quick Blizzard raised a waist-high wall of ice; I knew Brain was usually capable of making larger, but it was tall enough to allow us to retreat a few steps and catch our breath. “Alright, how about this?” Brain asked, and before I knew it, I was being lifted up and deposited on his shoulder.

“Woah!” I cried, wobbling back and forth before grabbing onto his hair in a panic.

Brain winced – I guess I had yanked pretty sharply – but said nothing beyond, “Better?”

I found a more secure place to hold onto, shifting my paws so I was holding onto his shoulder and coat instead, and braced my feet against his back. I peered over his shoulder; wow, was this how far Brain could see all the time…?

Brain bounced lightly on his feet to test my grip, but when it didn’t dislodge me, he settled into a more stable pose and swung his Keyblade up into a two-handed ready stance. “Alright, let’s go!” I cheered quietly, mindful of the fact I was right next to his ear, and patted his shoulder encouragingly. His earring tickled my fur. “You’ve got this!”

“Hold on tight,” he advised, most of his attention focused on the ice wall as it shivered and cracked. Part of me was just relieved the Shadows hadn’t thought to just swarm over it, but lesser Heartless weren’t the brightest of the bunch.

“I’m not gonna fawwwoah!!” I cried, clinging to his shoulder as he dodged to the side as the wall of ice shattered, a wave of Heartless streaming forward.

Now that I was riding on his shoulder, Brain switched strategies: darting in and striking quickly, then retreating. It was more exhausting, but there were too many Heartless to deal with to stick to his usual strategy, and I got the impression he was trying to conserve his magical energy for later when he became too tired to keep up his movements. He was putting more power into his swings now that he could use both hands, although they were just a little bit clumsier with my extra weight throwing off his balance.

“Can you do what you did before, with the Blizzard Raid?” I asked as we danced away from swiping claws. Brain didn’t have to ask what I meant – with his mind, it would be pretty easy to figure out – but he grimaced as he blocked an attack.

“Too risky,” he panted. “Not confident I’d catch it, to be honest. And now’s – not a good time to be caught without a weapon.” That was fair enough. I made a mental note to make Brain practice it later, though – it was a good skill to have.

Being in the middle of a battle was incredibly different from watching from the sidelines, I was quickly learning. It was equal parts terrifying and exciting – my heart was racing every time claws came slashing within an inch of Brain’s skin. I could see why so many Keyblade wielders found enjoyment in battle and showing off their skill – and equally understood why Brain wasn’t as fond of it, when so much relied on physical movement. He was definitely lagging now, starting to focus more on defensive moves, his whole body trembling when he blocked attacks.

If this continued, Brain might not make it safely out of the battle. I peered towards the woods, wondering if a strategic retreat was in order, but what good would it do? Brain probably didn’t have enough energy to portal home at the moment, and there was every risk the Heartless would just chase us into the woods. My ears drooped with worry. “If only there was a way to make them as tired as you…” I mumbled to myself.

Brain blinked, perking up. “That’s it! Chirithy, you’re a genius,” he declared, darting to the side in a burst of renewed energy.

“’Course I am,” I replied matter-of-factly. “…Um, why, though?” With some alarm, I noticed that Brain had manoeuvred us into the centre of a ring of Heartless, all of them starting to converge on us. “Uhh, Brain?”

I could feel Brain focusing his magic as the Heartless drew closer. When they were only a few steps away, he raised his Keyblade and cried, “ _Slowra!”_

I shivered as the spell energy crackled through my fur, leaving it standing on end. The time spell blossomed outwards in a rolling wave, washing over the Heartless closing in on us. It took a lot out of Brain; he staggered, grounding the Keyblade to keep himself upright. I patted his shoulder worriedly, trying to will some of my own energy to him through our bond – but of course, it doesn’t work like that. On the bright side, the Heartless around us had all been caught by the spell, each of them looking like they were moving through a thick custard.

“Now, that’s more a pace I can handle,” Brain laughed breathlessly, regaining his footing. He struck out at a nearby Heartless, setting the heart within free. Without the need to dodge anymore, Brain was able to methodically make his way through the Heartless. He didn’t even try to be graceful with his blows. Within a surprisingly short amount of time, the last of the Heartless surrounding us had faded away. Brain bent over, bracing his hands on his knees to take deep, gulping breaths. I rubbed his back, trying to provide some comfort, but inside I was equal parts bursting with worry and pride! The worry was obvious – Brain was exhausted – but I was so proud of him for having fought such a hard battle, all by himself! Well, not _all_ by himself because I was here too, but let’s face it, Brain had done most of the heavy lifting.

A sudden breeze blew the stench of darkness across my nose, like something rotting and ugly. I jerked my head up sharply, looking for the source, and spotted a large form unfurling from tendrils of darkness in the middle of the flower clearing. “Brain!” I cried in warning.

“Now what,” Brain grumbled, glancing up. He immediately tensed and straightened so fast it left me wobbling on his shoulder. Brain put up a hand to steady me, holding his Keyblade out ready with the other. “That’s not good…” he muttered, backing up a few paces. “I’ve not seen that Heartless before… wonder if that’s the one Master Ava was talking about?”

The Heartless that had emerged was tall, towering over Brain in light blue and yellow robes, an elaborate crown-like hat on its head that hid its face. In one clawed hand was a staff that was topped with a red flower that cupped a brilliant blue gem. I’d seen pictures of this Heartless before… what was it called again? Something about that staff reminded me of a warning for mage-class Heartless…

“The sooner this fight is over, the better,” Brain said, pointing his Keyblade at the new Heartless. I felt the spell build slowly, Brain pulling together what little magic he had left. “ _Blizzard!_ ”

“No, don’t!” I cried, finally remembering what this Heartless was like. Brain jolted, startled by my cry of warning, but it was too late. The spell’s aim was true, striking the High Wizard squarely in the middle, but it was too weak to destroy it in one hit. The Heartless whirled around, staff extended towards us. “Oh no,” I muttered, and raised my voice. “Quick, guard!!”

Brain winced at the volume right in his ear but obliged, throwing up a shield with what strength he had left. I hoped it would be enough. The staff swung down, sending a flurry of fireballs racing towards us. They slammed into the shield, making it shudder with every hit. Brain frowned hard in concentration, focusing all his attention on holding the shield together and somehow, miraculously, it held.

“It’s a High Wizard!” I told him, remembering to keep my voice down this time. “They’re like the regular Wizard types but a lot stronger! They absorb the magic you throw at them, and they like to throw back a whole lot more!”

“They _absorb_ magic?” Brain asked incredulously. “How am I supposed to beat that?”

Yeah, this would be a tough fight for someone like Brain – who mainly used magic – even at the best of times. Being on the edge of exhaustion… “I dunno, but don’t cast magic!”

The onslaught of fireballs ended, Brain’s shield flickering out almost immediately. “Well, this isn’t fun,” Brain muttered, letting the point of his Keyblade drop to the ground. “No magic, and it’s a long-range fighter too – it’ll definitely be able to cast counterattacks before I can get close enough for a hit, and I don’t think I have another good shield in me.” His eyes darted around the battlefield.

“You gotta think of something,” I urged. “You’re smart, Brain, you can figure it out!”

Brain grinned tiredly, flicking his eyes toward me. “Well, if you put it that way…” He said wryly, drawing himself up and readying his Keyblade once more. “Guess I’d got no option but to step up.” No sooner had he spoken than he was throwing us both out of the way of a line of lightning bolts that stamped down from the sky. “Though some breathing space would be nice!”

Another fireball came streaking towards us; Brain ducked, and I felt the heat singe my fur as it passed by with the barest inch to spare. Hot on its heels – or was it cold? – was a Blizzard spell. Brain steadied himself and countered with his own Blizzard, the two spells smashing into each other and forming a tall wall of ice. “Handy,” Brain commented breathlessly, ducking behind it immediately. “Chirithy, does that thing have a weakness?”

“Well, they’re a mage-class Heartless, so they should be more vulnerable to physical attacks,” I mused, combing my memory for anything that might help. “Aero attacks might work too?”

“Aero…” Brain repeated, frowning in thought. He peered around the edge of the wall, before promptly yanking his head back a few seconds later. We both winced as something slammed into the ice wall, making it shudder. “Hrm. It’ll just absorb any magic I throw at it, but I may have an idea…”

Over our heads, the top of the wall shattered, ice shards raining down. I ducked under the brim of Brain’s hat to avoid them; Brain raised a hand to help shelter the rest of me. “Well, now’s the perfect time to do it, whatever it is!” I announced, wriggling a little bit to shake the remaining shards off me.

Brain sighed. “If I’d known this mission was gonna involve so much effort, I wouldn’t have come.” The remnants of the ice wall shuddered again.

“’Course you would have,” I said cheerfully. Brain raised an eyebrow at my certainty. “Master Ava asked you, after all.”

He considered this and sighed again. “Well, you have a point,” he agreed wryly, shifting his weight in preparation. “Alright then, hold on!”

Brain dashed out into the open. The remains of the ice wall shattered to pieces under a hail of fireballs before we’d even gone a few steps. Brain darted to the side, skidded to a stop, and swung his Keyblade up. “ _Aero!_ ”

It was… not a particularly strong Aero, given how exhausted Brain was, and my heart sunk as it missed the High Wizard entirely. Brain had to be nearing the end of his tether if his aim was that far off. “You missed!” I cried. “Don’t waste your magic if you’re not even gonna hit it!”

“I’m not aiming for it!” Brain huffed back, already sprinting back the way we had come.

“What?!”

He swerved to avoid a flare of ice crystals. “Just trust me!”

That was it, wasn’t it? I may not know what Brain was actually planning, but it was my job as his partner to put my faith in him. “Alright,” I said. “Do your best, then!”

Brain stumbled to a stop again and fired off another Aero, before dashing off again, circling wide of the High Wizard. He wasn’t running very fast – I was surprised he still had the energy to run, to be honest – but he was moving and weaving enough that the High Wizard had trouble tracking him for attacks. He didn’t even stay still for very long when he stopped to cast Aero, even though I could hear his breath beginning to come in gasps.

It didn’t take long for me to figure out his true target: the tree on the edge of the clearing, the one already weakened by the Large Body smashing into it earlier. Brain’s Aero spells might not have been strong, but they hit the same spot over and over, weakening the tree’s stability bit by bit.

“Alright, that should be enough,” Brain muttered, pausing to get his breath back. “Remind me never to do this again, Chirithy.”

“It’s not falling,” I said worriedly, not really paying attention as I stared up at the tree. “You need it to fall, right?”

“One more should do it,” Brain agreed. “Gotta get the angle right, though…” His eyes swept the battlefield. “Over there.”

“Go, go, go!” I said urgently, patting his shoulder in agitation as I saw the High Wizard raise its staff for another attack. “Cut in close, I think it’s gonna cast Thunder.” It was also a shorter distance to the place Brain had indicated, and every less step Brain had to run was a bit more energy he could put into casting.

Brain obeyed, zigzagging to avoid the lightning bolts that fell amongst the flowers. Finding his mark, he spun around and raised his Keyblade. “ _Aeroga!_ ”

A blast of wind erupted from the tip of Brain’s Keyblade; he immediately dropped to one knee, breathing heavily and leaning on his Keyblade for support. I held my breath as the wind spell smashed into the base of the weakened tree, leaving it wobbling dangerously. “Come on, come on, come on,” I chanted quietly, feeling Brain shuddering for breath under me. If it didn’t fall – Brain didn’t have the strength to move –

_Crack!_

The sound snapped through the air like a whip as the giant tree slowly began to topple forward. It struck the High Wizard squarely, crushing it beneath leaves and bark. The Heartless dissipated in a plume of darkness, the freed heart soaring high into the sky. There would be Lux to collect later, but for now, I breathed a huge sigh of relief. It was finally over!

“Woohoo! You did it!” I cheered, leaping down from Brain’s shoulder to dance around in victory. “Nice work, Brain!”

Brain let his Keyblade disappear, bracing his hands on the ground as he panted for breath. “Ah, it’s finally over…” He keeled over sideways with a sigh, laying with his back amongst the grass to stare up at the sky. “Ow.”

I hurried over. “Are you hurt?”

“Every part of me is sore and my head is pounding from magic overuse,” Brain replied dryly. He tipped his head back, closing his eyes. “But we’re both still alive, which is more than I expected.” Even with his eyes closed, he reached out to me. I shifted to the side a little, so that his hand landed properly on my head. The corners of his mouth quirked up into a tired smile as he gently scratched his fingers through my fur. His hand was warm and comforting, and that bright spot inside my chest from before glowed a little brighter. “How about you?”

“Not a scratch!” I replied proudly. Then, more gently, “You did a good job, Brain.”

“Mm. That’s good, I’m glad.” One last pat and then he was reclaiming his hand, settling it on his stomach as he somehow managed to sink even further into the grass with a long sigh. I moved closer, reaching out to touch his forehead. Fighting Heartless wasn’t my forte, but looking after my stubborn partner was becoming second nature. His skin was warm, but from exertion, not a magic-crash – at least not yet. The energy required to portal home would probably push him over the edge into one, though. My shoulders slumped with my thoughts. Well, it would be unpleasant – it was like catching a cold, without the sniffles – but a day or two stuck in bed was still better than the alternative.

“You kinda overdid it after yesterday, huh,” I remarked wryly, trying to force my worry down. Hopefully Brain had brought a potion or two, or better yet, an Ether, if only to stave off the otherwise inevitable crash. Oh wait, no, he’d said that he needed to make more, hadn’t he? Maybe I could get some? No, I didn’t want to leave him here by himself in this state.

“Mm,” Brain agreed, still not opening his eyes. Then, as though he’d heard my thoughts, offered, “There’s some Ethers in my coat pocket. I remembered to bring some this time.”

Despite his words, Brain made no actual move towards retrieving said Ethers, seemingly too exhausted to spare even that amount of effort. “Which pocket?”

“Ah… right, I think.”

I rummaged through his pocket with determination. Brain made a startled noise, but other than moving his arm out of the way, made no attempt to stop me. “I thought you didn’t have any?” I asked, curious. My paw closed around some cube-shaped objects, and I pulled them out into the light. Yup, these were Ethers alright! I offered one up to Brain.

“Thanks, Chirithy,” he said gratefully, accepting it. “I made some last night. Woke up and couldn’t get back to sleep, so figured I could do something useful.” He took a bite out of the Ether, grimaced at the taste, but kept chewing anyway. “Not my best work, but good enough.”

“Hrm,” I said, eyeing him critically. The embers of his magic flickered a little higher, burned a little brighter, with every bite he took. “Synthesis still uses magic, you know. It probably didn’t help with your depleted magic levels.” His current magic levels still weren’t high enough to satisfy my worries. I handed him another Ether.

Brain took it and started eating without complaint. “I know, and it didn’t, but that’s the good thing about making Ethers. I just ate one when I was finished.”

“You – that’s cheating!” I spluttered, waving my arms wildly to emphasis my point. Brain grinned widely at me, completely unrepentant. I handed him another Ether in retaliation. He made a face at it but reluctantly began eating when I glared pointedly at him.

When he finished, he sighed and tipped his hat down over his eyes like he intended to nap right here in the open. That wasn’t a good idea, no matter how tired he was! Even with the Ethers restoring some of his magical stamina, he’d still sleep for hours if he fell asleep now. I guess Brain could feel me fretting, because he peeked out from under his hat. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to sleep,” he reassured me. “I just need to rest a bit before I get back up.”

That was fair enough. “Feeling better though?” I asked, double checking for any other injuries. There was a bruise starting to form along his arm from where he’d been checked by the Large Body and at some point he’d picked up a couple of slashes across the sleeve of his coat as well, but the damage luckily seemed more to the material than to Brain. I’d still take a look at it when we returned to Daybreak Town, just to make sure. Still, overall, my partner was in alright shape despite everything. Thank goodness!

Brain seemed to agree with my silent assessment. “Yeah. I’ve got enough energy to get us back home now and the rest of me’s in one piece, so you can stop worrying.”

“Good,” I replied firmly and crossed my arms. “In that case, I can go back to being mad at you!”

 _That_ got his attention: Brain jolted up, pushing his hat back to stare at me with wide eyes. “What? Why?” he asked, sounding confused.

“You left me behind again!” I accused, pointing a paw at him. Brain winced, pushing himself up into a proper sitting position. Grey eyes regarded me with the full weight of Brain’s attention – always a strong thing, but I wasn’t about to let that stop me from trying to make him understand. The other me had said good communication was important, so here went nothing!

“Chirithy…”

“You keep leaving me behind and I don’t know why!” I continued, waving my arms in distress, determined to put it all out there. If I didn’t, I might lose my nerve. “And then you come back injured, and I didn’t even know you were in danger, and all I can do is worry! Why won’t you let me help you?”

Brain blinked in surprise. One hand rubbed at the back of his neck as he glanced away, looking out across what remained of the flower glade. “You said you weren’t great at battle, the first time we met,” he offered quietly. It was the first time I’d ever heard him sound so unsure of himself. “I didn’t want you getting hurt.” He gestured to himself with a sweep of his hand, mouth twisting in frustration. “I can barely look after myself in a battle – just look what happened – and I’m terrified something could happen to you and I wouldn’t…” Brain trailed off, a spark of realisation flashing in his eyes. “…Be able to help you,” he finished. He looked over at me ruefully. “It’s the same feeling, isn’t it?” He ran a hand over his face tiredly. “Ahhh, you’re right.”

“Of course I am!” I replied matter-of-factly, mainly to wipe that sad look off his face. It worked; I was rewarded with a small smile, though it disappeared soon after. That wouldn’t do!

As for me, I was completely the opposite – practically bouncing on my feet, in fact. All the pieces of the puzzle had finally clicked together in a way that made sense, and the realisation that Brain and I both felt the same way – wanted to protect each other – cared about each other – made my heart glow bright and warm. Was this how Brain usually felt when he finally understood things after all those questions? I’d have to make sure I answered as many as I could.

That was a vow for later, though. Right now, Brain still looked tired and sad and that wasn’t fair, not when I was feeling so happy. I moved closer, touching his arm lightly. “It’s not like I intend to be in battles like today,” I reassured him. “Like you said, I wasn’t made for that, and I don’t want to get in the way. But there’s lots of other things I can do, so please stop leaving me behind!” I waved my arms around, wanting to emphasise my point. “You and me, we’re a team. Maybe you want to be everyone’s support, but I’m _your_ support! Let me help you!”

Brain set a hand atop my head, rubbing it gently. “You already do help me, Chirithy, even if it doesn’t seem like it.” His smile was lopsided but warm nonetheless; sorrow all but banished. “But you’re right. I should have taken your feelings into account as well, and I’m sorry.” He glanced away, shoulders hitching up slightly and a hand hovering on the brim of his hat, like he wanted to hide behind it again. “I’ve… never really had anyone to watch my back for me before now so… I’m a little unused to it.”

A memory of Master Ava’s voice. _I don’t think Brain really knows yet what to do with people who want to be close to him_.

“Well, now you have me!” I said cheerfully, patting him on the arm. “I said we’re a team, didn’t I?”

Brain looked down at me, grey eyes considering as he searched my face for something. I don’t know what he was looking for, but he must have found it, because all of a sudden he grinned widely, eyes alight with mischief. “That’s right,” he said. “We’re partners.” Before I even registered what he was doing, Brain had plucked his hat off his head and plonked it onto mine.

My eyes went wide. Brain’s hat! I reached up to touch the edges of it gently with my paws. It was much too small for my head – it barely covered my ears – but suddenly I desperately wanted to see how I looked. Brain always looked so cool in his hat!

Still, though, he’d said something that wasn’t quite right. “No, you dummy, we’re _friends_!!” I corrected him, holding onto his hat so it didn’t fall off. After all, it’s a Chirithy’s job to help our partners learn! “Geez, for someone so smart you sure are clueless!”

Brain had been grinning at my surprised awe, but now it was _his_ eyes that went wide. “Friends… oh!!” He blushed, no hat to hide the red rapidly spreading across his cheeks and ears. Brain looked away, looking so terribly young and uncertain and so unlike the partner I’d come to know. “I’ve… not had one of those before either…” he confessed, biting his lip.

I’d already figured as much – it didn’t take being a genius like Brain to work it out – but that didn’t stop the ache in my heart at the confession, at the idea that no-one had tried to connect with such a kind soul.

I had, though, I reminded myself. Master Ava had. He had us, and maybe in future, he’d find more people who wanted to care about him and support him. Until then, it was up to me to make up for everything he’d missed out on!

I jumped up onto his thighs and struck a cool pose. “That’s okay! I’m the perfect friend template! You’ll get used to it in no time.”

A giggle bubbled out of Brain’s chest, bright and happy. He pressed knuckles to his mouth, trying in vain to hold the sound in, but was helpless to stop the laughter that spilled over. I pouted – that was meant to be cool, not funny! – but the sound of his laughter was so joyous, and the bond between us shining so bright, that I couldn’t help but join in, snickering into my paws. It was the first time I’d ever heard Brain laugh properly, not just his usual quiet chuckle but loud and carefree and I found myself wanting to hear it more.

“Thanks, Chirithy,” Brain said eventually, eyes sparkling with mirth even once his laughter had died down. He smiled at me and opened his arms hesitantly, as though he wasn’t sure I’d take him up on his invitation. I had zero such reservations and threw myself into his arms with enough force that I heard a quiet ‘oof’ before Brain’s arms wrapped around me in a hug. My arms didn’t reach as far, but I hugged back with all the joy I felt. It was the best hug I’d ever had.

Brain rested his cheek on my head. His hat had fallen off the moment I’d dived forwards, but I couldn’t regret it that much. Friend hugs were so much better! “I’m glad to have you as my friend,” he mumbled quietly.

I closed my eyes, content. “Same back to you, partner.”

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I don’t know how long we stayed like that, but eventually Brain sighed and shifted, resting his chin on my head instead. “I’m beat,” he announced wearily, punctuating his words with a yawn. “Guess we should go back soon…”

“Mm,” I hummed in agreement, and didn’t move at all. The way we were sitting was very comfy, after all. Above me, Brain huffed a quiet laugh, his breath tickling the fur on my head.

“How’d you even get here, anyway?” he asked curiously a minute later. He sounded more awake, as though the mystery of my appearance had been enough to shake off his exhaustion. It wouldn’t surprise me in the least if that was the truth – nothing ever stopped Brain from asking his questions. Even if the world was ending, he’d still want to know why, and how to help stop it.

Part of me felt uneasy at that thought, though I didn’t know why. Instead, I focused on the steady sound of Brain’s heartbeat, muffled by the coat my head rested against. It was a comforting sound – that and Brain’s hand rubbing soothing circles on the back of my head soon had my unease melting away. What was I supposed to be doing again? Oh, right, Brain asked me something…

“Master Ava made a portal for me,” I mumbled.

“She did?” Brain sounded surprised. “Huh. That was kind of her.”

“Yeah.” I’d have to thank Master Ava next time I saw her. If she hadn’t given me a way to come after Brain, things might not have turned out so well. I hugged Brain a little tighter.

Brain continued musing as though he hadn’t heard me. “Strange, though, I’d almost think…” He trailed off, falling silent for a few seconds. “Well, can’t say one way or the other for sure,” he said finally. I felt his shoulders shift in a slight shrug. “It turned out for the best either way, anyway.”

“Huh?” There he went being cryptic again. Brain just shook his head; clearly not important then. Speaking of Master Ava, though! “Oh yeah, Master Ava liked your muffins, by the way!” I announced cheerfully. I wanted Brain to realise that he had more friends than he thought, but I also had a feeling he wouldn’t believe me if I told him Master Ava wanted to be his friend too. “She thinks you’re talented! What a compliment!”

Brain’s hand paused on the back of my head. “Really?” he asked, a note of surprise in his voice. I nodded; after a moment, he resumed his gentle scratching with a quiet hum of acknowledgement. “Well, I’m glad she liked them.” His voice was as gentle as his hands. I pulled away reluctantly so I could see Brain’s face, catching the end of a soft, pleased smile before he looked expectantly down at me.

“ _I_ only got to eat one of them,” I informed him, disgruntled.

That startled a laugh out of him. “I have some more at home, if you want,” Brain offered with a smile. I perked up; this was great news! I guess Brain could have some too; he should eat something after spending so much energy, after all.

“Yes!” I cheered, waving my arms enthusiastically. I leapt off Brain’s lap, making him jump in surprise. Unable to contain my excitement, I twirled around on one foot like a fancy dancer, only stopping when I realised Brain was sitting there watching me with clear amusement instead of _getting up_. “On your feet, no time to waste!” I ordered, flapping my arms in an attempt to chivvy him along. Brain huffed in amusement, but obediently pushed himself to his feet with a groan. I nodded in satisfaction and jumped up onto the log. “Come on, let’s gooooo!”

“Well, looks like someone’s eager,” Brain teased, brushing the dirt from his coat. Bending down to retrieve his hat, he dusted it off as well before settling it back on his head. He fingered the slash marks in the sleeve of his coat. “Guess I’ll have to sew that up when we get home...”

The two of us contemplated the flower glade that had so recently been a battlefield. What had once been a beautiful field of flowers was now marred with patches of ground scorched clean of flowers or trampled into the ground. Not to mention the fallen tree bisecting it in half.

“It’s a shame about the flowers,” I remarked quietly, a wave of sadness washing over me at the sight. Some of the clearing at least remained unharmed, the flowers a beautiful riot of colours. With time, I knew, the glade would grow back just as beautiful as before, but that didn’t make me feel any less solemn.

“Yeah,” Brain agreed, sounding regretful. I looked over at him; he’d shoved his hands into his pockets as he looked around, frowning. “Even if I knew how to cast Cure properly yet, I don’t think it works on flowers.” His frown became thoughtful. “Hm, maybe something combining Light and Water elements could work, though…?” He trailed off, deep in thought.

I waited politely for a minute – I’m not _that_ impatient! – but when it became clear that I’d lost Brain to whatever spell theories he was cooking up in that mind of his, I cleared my throat. “Uh, Brain?”

At the sound of my voice, the spell – hah! – was broken, Brain shaking his head to clear it. “Sorry,” he apologised, turning to look at me. “Anyway, I can do something about _this_ ,” he nudged the fallen tree trunk with his boot, “at any rate. You ready?”

“Yup!” I replied cheerfully. Then, “Woah!” as Brain picked me up, swinging me up onto his shoulder like I had been before during the battle. Now that we weren’t fighting for our lives, it was actually pretty fun being up this high! You could see a lot more than you could from the ground. I wondered if that was why Brain had lifted me up here, or if he just liked me sitting on his shoulder. Either way, I wasn’t going to refuse!

Brain held out his hand, and his Keyblade appeared once more in a flash of light. He surveyed the log with a thoughtful hum. “Do you have enough magic for that?” I asked worriedly. True, the Ethers had restored some of his magic, but he still needed enough to portal us back home as well.

“Something like this should be fine,” he assured me. He tapped the fallen tree with his Keyblade and muttered, “ _Zero Gravity!_ ” With wide eyes, I watched as the tree trunk rose very slowly, until it hovered several inches above the ground. Brain pushed at it, gently directing it to the edge of the clearing. He set it down carefully before ending the spell, puffing out a long breath when he was done. I patted him on the back of his head.

“Good work!” I praised. “Now let’s go home. We need to talk to Master Ava about the Heartless… and then we’ve got muffins to eat!”

“You can eat,” Brain replied diffidently. “I’m gonna take a nap.”

I harrumphed, but it was mostly for show. “…Fine.”

“Really?” Brain asked, surprised. He peered sideways at me as if he didn’t quite believe what he’d heard. How rude! Although, I guess I usually did go mad at him for napping, huh…

I looked away from that grey gaze, playing innocent. “Well,” I conceded with an exaggerated tone, “I _guess_ you’ve earned one today.”

Brain snorted. “Gee, if only I’d known that taking on a field full of Heartless would grant me nap privileges,” he said, his wide grin completely betraying his deadpan tone. I shoved at his cheek in retaliation, but his grin only grew larger.

“Don’t get too ahead of yourself,” I said with a sniff. “You still need to train more, you were huffing and puffing all over the field! That’s my advice as your partner and friend.”

Brain sighed in resignation. “Yeah, yeah, okay.” He held up his Keyblade. I pretended not to notice the way his arm trembled minutely with exhaustion as he pointed it, but I patted him on the back in silent encouragement anyway. A beam of light shot forth from the tip of Brain’s Keyblade, and the familiar sight of the portal unfolding before us had both of us sighing quietly in relief. Beneath my paws, I could feel the tension drain out of Brain’s body.

“Hey, Chirithy?” Brain asked suddenly, turning his head in my direction.

“Hm?”

“Stay with me while I nap?”

This time, I understood. He was asking because he wanted the company, wanted _my_ company, and trusted me to watch over him while he slept. He was asking because he considered me his friend. So unlike before, where I’d left or made excuses for staying, this time I simply replied, “Okay.”

Brain’s answering smile was warm and bright, just like the bond between us.

We headed back home through the portal together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hooray! They're Officially Friends now! \ o / This story's still got a ways to go yet, though haha
> 
> Action scenes are so hard =a= and yet, somehow I always end up writing them...
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a Chirithy and his Boy, being friends, hanging out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did someone ask for extra Chirithy lore? No? Well, we're getting some anyway lol

“Brain!” I materialised on top of a stack of books, teetering dangerously like a Wibble-Wobble before I caught my balance. “Brain, I found it!” I waved a small bag in the air victoriously.

Used to my comings and goings by now, Brain glanced over his shoulder as he set things up on his workbench. His eyes lit up at the sight of my prize, and he grinned at me. “Great work, Chirithy! Thanks!” I glanced around, trying to find the easiest way through the maze of books that had been hastily cleared back from around his workbench. Brain came to my rescue, dusting his hands off as he stepped over piles with ease and making his way to my side in no time at all.

“Did you have a lot of trouble finding them?” he asked, picking me up and carrying me back to the workbench. “I was a bit worried when you took so long to come back…”

“Well, it definitely wasn’t easy,” I grumbled. “I went to the shop first, but that Moogle’s prices are so expensive!” Especially for a few measly shards! I’d never really had reason to go before, since Chirithies didn’t really need those kinds of things and Brain had always just made what he needed. It was a wonder anyone in Daybreak Town was able to even afford potions!

“Ahh, yeah,” Brain agreed, nodding sagely. He pitched his voice higher in a sing-song tone. “Money makes the world go round after all, kupo~!” He set me down carefully, out of the way of the vials and materials gathered on the desk.

I shuddered at the impression, even if Brain’s attempt was nothing like the real deal. That Moogle was relentless; I’d been lucky to escape with my purse intact! “It was scary!”

“Aw no, poor Chirithy,” Brain replied with amused sympathy, laughing a little. I glared at him, not finding it funny at all, but my glare faltered when he reached over and patted my head in a comforting gesture. It felt nice, after all the running around I’d had to do. I closed my eyes. “Besides,” Brain added, scratching behind my ear, “why do you think I started making all my potions myself?”

My eyes sprang open. “Whaaaaat, seriously?!” I cried, reeling back a little. Was he joking? I squinted up at Brain; he had his hat pushed back, so I could see his face and – yep, he looked kinda sheepish. Huh. Suddenly I didn’t feel so bad about being intimidated by the shopkeeper Moogle.

“Mm-hm. Well, it’s cheaper this way, although it’s harder to find the materials. Usually someone is willing to trade me them for the stuff I synthesize anyway. Some people just give me stuff they find but don’t want, since they know I’ll use it.” Brain grinned. “And so, I don’t get bullied into buying things I don’t want.” He tweaked my ear before pulling his hand away, returning to sorting through the piles of materials on the bench.

“Could’ve warned me about this before,” I muttered, but my grumpiness was already fading. Brain _had_ said asking other Keyblade wielders would probably be easier, but that had seemed so much effort when there was a shop _right there_. Well, now I knew. “Anyway! Some of the other wielders were happy to swap me these for some of the potions you’d made.” I handed over the bag to Brain, who tipped the contents out onto his hand to examine curiously. The crystal shards kinda reminded me of Lux, except they didn’t glow with the same kind of internal light like Lux did. “Apparently, those shards are kinda uncommon… I had to ask around a bit before I could find anyone who had some to trade, so make sure you appreciate them!”

“I will, these are exactly what I needed.” Brain looked up and grinned at me. “Thanks, Chirithy.”

“Ah, well… it was nothing,” I replied, ducking my head. Brain tipped all the shards back into the bag – except for one that he set carefully on the workbench – and pulled the ties tightly closed, before tucking it away in his storage chest. I watched curiously as he sorted through all the remaining vials and materials, setting some aside and stowing others away with an efficiency that spoke of long practice. I swung my legs back and forth idly. “You know, you could just collect all this stuff yourself if you went on more missions…”

Brain hummed, flipping quickly through the pages of a book. “I could, yeah, but then who’d be left to stop more people becoming victims of the Moogle’s keen business skills?” He flashed a grin at me as he propped his book open on a stand behind me; I laughed. “I honestly don’t mind trading for the materials I need,” Brain continued, starting to shift various stacks of books further away from the bench. “And I don’t mind making things for people if they bring me the materials to make it. If I had to gather it all myself, then I’d have to actually charge munny… but this way I can go at my own pace.”

That was one surprising thing I’d learnt, spending more time with Brain. He might not belong to a party, or interact with people that much, but there was a steady trickle of people who showed up at his door or flagged him down on the streets to barter for healing items, and Brain was always happy to oblige. _Not many people do this side of things,_ he explained to me once when I asked him about it. _I may not have close friends –_ many _close friends,_ he amended at my frown, _but I don’t want anyone in my Union – anyone, really – to get hurt when I have the means to help them_.

“Well,” I said thoughtfully, “there’s more wielders around now than ever, so there’s more than enough people to cover the daily missions. Your work is important too.”

Brain had committed to his chosen path of playing a support role to other wielders. After several long discussions, we’d figured out a way to best balance that goal with his Union duty of gathering Lux. As it turned out – and honestly, it made a lot of past things make sense – but unlike many wielders, Brain didn’t consider collecting Lux the highest priority. _Don’t get me wrong, it’s important that we’re gathering Lux_ , Brain had said, _but it’s important that we look after one another too. Plenty of people take care of the first, but I worry not many think about the second._ How could I argue with that? Us Chirithies were here to look after our partners, but we couldn’t do everything. Fighting the darkness would be easier if everyone worked together.

So that meant less missions in general, but more group missions overall. More study and time spent practising spell-work, and synthesizing items to give out. The same amount of naps, though, because some things just don’t change. They were growing on me, though – the hill where Brain loved to read and study was a prime nap location. Not that a Chirithy like me needed to nap, but there was something very relaxing about closing my eyes in the sunlight, listening to Brain mutter to himself as he flipped through pages.

There was more training, too. Brain was slowly improving when it came to physical fighting; his movements becoming more graceful and his stamina increasing, although the way he flopped onto the ground after every training session would make anyone think twice about that. It certainly let him move all his books around now with ease though, something that had made Brain snort in amusement when I pointed it out to him.

“What are you making, anyway?” I asked curiously as Brain surveyed the cleared area before deeming it acceptable with a satisfied nod.

“Ah, this one is for me,” Brain explained cheerfully, slipping a leather apron over his head and tying it behind him. “I’m testing some ideas I had for upgrading the different Boost mixes, I think I can increase the effects if I swap out some of the crystal types and ratios, and adjust the spell matrix accordingly.” All of this went over my head, but I nodded encouragingly. Brain just grinned as if he knew exactly what I was thinking. “I’ll show you the theory later if you want, but for now…”

I found myself being lifted off the bench and placed on a nearby stool. “Hey! I wanna watch!” I complained, pouting up at Brain.

“I know, but it’s way too dangerous to sit there,” Brain replied, turning to rummage around in a drawer. “Where did I –? Ah, here they are!” He triumphantly pulled something out and offered it to me. I took it in both paws and looked it over curiously. It looked like the glasses Brain wore to protect his eyes when he was synthesizing items, except these were more like goggles with a strap at the back and looked more homemade.

I looked up at Brain questioningly. “They’re safety glasses for you,” he explained, rubbing the back of his neck almost shyly. “So you can watch properly when I synthesize stuff, if you want. They don’t really make them in your size, so I had to modify a pair of mine… hopefully they fit.”

“Oh wow!” I looked down at the goggles in my paws. Brain had made these for me? I looked up at him gratefully. “Thanks, Brain!”

“It was no trouble,” Brain said with a shrug. “D’you want me to help put them on?”

“Yes, please,” I told him, handing him the goggles. He carefully set them around my head, making sure the strap didn’t catch on my ears, stepped back for a better look, and promptly started to snicker. “Hey!!” I cried indignantly. “What’s so funny?!”

“You,” Brain said amongst his laughter. “You look ridiculous.”

“Hey!” How rude!

Brain managed to get his laughter under control as I glared at him. He held up his hands as though to ward it off. “Hey, I don’t look much better,” he told me, reaching out to snag his own safety glasses off the bench. He put them on and grinned at me. “See?”

I couldn’t help it; I giggled. He did look pretty silly with his hat and huge glasses together like that. Brain huffed in amusement and patted me on the head. “Do they fit alright, though?” he asked, fussing over the way the goggles sat on my face.

They seemed fine to me and I told him as much, but that didn’t stop him muttering improvements to himself for a few minutes as he fiddled with them. Eventually though, he leaned back. “Well, that’s about as good as it’s gonna get for now,” he mused. He hesitated for a moment, then took off his hat and set it on my head as well. “Here, mind this for me too?”

“Oh!” I said with surprise, reaching up to touch the brim. Brain’s hat! Although from Brain’s example it probably did not look as cool as usual when combined with safety goggles. Still, though, I felt like I’d been entrusted with something important. “I’ll take good care of it!”

Brain grinned. “Thanks, Chirithy.” He returned to the workbench, tugging on a pair of leather work gloves as he surveyed everything. “Alright, where to start…?”

I settled into a comfier position on the stool, content to watch. Watching Brain work was always fascinating; however uneasy he might seem on the battlefield, this kind of thing was truly where he was in his element. When he was synthesizing items for other people, he barely ever needed to check his recipe book, but when he was experimenting with his own stuff he referred constantly to his own notes. Like now, a frown of concentration on his face as he copied a spell circle from his notebook onto the bench in chalk with quick, steady movements.

Several hours passed. I gotta admit, I still didn’t really know a lot about synthesis, or making spells, or any of the things Brain liked to do, so it was kinda hard to help him out with these things. That didn’t seem to matter to Brain though; it seemed my company was enough for him. He’d taken to explaining what he was doing or thinking aloud while he worked so that I could follow along, which I was grateful for. Brain said it helped him think things through as well, so it felt nice to help out in that way too – even if I didn’t understand what he was talking about. Most of the time though, it was just fun to watch the way his face lit up when things went right or the serious frown he got when he was figuring something out or how earnest he was when he was telling me about the things he was making. It was clear that this was something he enjoyed and seeing him happy made me happy too.

“Uh oh,” said Brain, sounding worried. It was the only warning I got before an explosion knocked me off my stool.

.  
.  
.  
.  
.

I stared up at the ceiling. “Oof,” I said aloud to no-one in particular. Had the ceiling always been soot-stained like that?

The sound of Brain coughing had me sitting up with a wince; I managed it just in time to see Brain stumble to a window and throw it open, letting the smoke that had filled the room waft out. “Well, that was unexpected,” he muttered to himself, coughing again. He whirled around. “Chirithy?!”

“I’m here,” I called, waving. “I’m okay… I think.” Brain hurried over, looking soot-blackened but mostly unharmed. I breathed a quiet sigh of relief. He dropped to his knees in front of me, pushing his glasses back and pulling off his gloves to hover his hands over me uncertainly.

“Are you sure? You’re not hurt?” he asked, eyes dark with worry.

“Well, my head hurts a bit,” I admitted. Brain nodded and started running his fingers over my head, searching for bumps with gentle hands. It felt pretty nice after such a scare.

Brain sat back with a relieved sigh. “Everything seems okay. You probably just bumped your head a bit when you fell off the stool. I think maybe I can…” He chewed his lip, contemplating his hand, before reaching out to rest it on my head. A look of concentration passed across his face. “ _Cure_.”

A warm glow rushed through me from the healing spell. It was weak, and fitful, but it washed away the dull ache in my head before flickering out. Brain sighed again, shaking out his hand. “That’s the best I can do for now… I still need a lot of practise.”

“Still though! Wow!” I cheered, waving my arms in excitement. Weak or not, that had been a proper Cure! “You managed to cast it this time! That’s great! I’m sure in no time, you – you’re bleeding? You’re bleeding! That’s not good!”

Brain looked startled at my sudden change in demeanour. He pressed his fingers to his cheek and blinked when they came away stained with red. “Huh. So I am.” Lost in my worried fretting, I missed Brain’s amused exhale. “Chirithy, it’s fine. You have definitely seen me end up with worse.”

“Nuh-uh!” I retorted, pointing at him. “Something just exploded! You literally just used Cure on a head bump! If you’re allowed to worry, _I’m_ allowed to worry.”

“Alright, alright, that’s fair,” Brain agreed easily, still looking much too amused for my liking. “It really is just a cut though, I think. I’ll get the first aid-kit; you stay here, there might be glass on the floor.”

I sat patiently and waited for Brain to return with the first-aid kit, after which it was his turn to sit patiently and let me clean his wound. As Brain had predicted, it was indeed only a cut, but that didn’t stop me sticking a bandage over it. “There you go!”

“Thank you,” Brain said, touching the bandage lightly. He glanced towards his workbench, currently in complete disarray. “So, I have a few ideas on what went wrong…”

“That’s important and all,” I interrupted, before he could get too caught up in theorising. “But shouldn’t we clean up first?”

He blinked at me, caught off guard, then grinned sheepishly. “Yeah, that’s a good idea.” With a satisfied harrumph – honestly, what would he do without me? – I turned around to survey the rest of the room and, woah! What a mess! Piles of haphazardly stacked books had been knocked over by the blast, strewn across the floor like fallen dominoes. It wasn’t even a maze anymore; now it was just a heap. Luckily, while we’d been knocked over, both the book stacks and I had been outside of the soot-radius; only Brain had been unlucky enough to end up covered in it.

“Wooooow,” I said with a low whistle. “Your apartment’s a mess.” I spied Brain’s hat not far away and hurried over to grab it. Phew! It was unharmed too. I placed it back on my head carefully, since Brain had asked me to look after it.

“It’s not a mess if I know where everything is,” Brain replied automatically, storing the first aid kit back in its place. He turned around and seemed to take in the jumble of books spread across his floor for the first time. Brain winced. “But yeah, okay, it’s a mess.” He sighed, and I made a sympathetic noise of agreement.

Brain disappeared into another room; I heard the sound of water running. He came back with a clean face and a broom and dustpan, apron discarded. We got to work cleaning. The rest of the windows were thrown open to clear the air of lingering smoke. Brain took charge of cleaning his work area, sweeping up shattered vials and soot. Although he hadn’t asked me to do anything, I decided I would help out by piling up his books again. Maybe I could make it neater than it had been…

I’d underestimated just how many books Brain actually had though, and how small I was in comparison. It didn’t take Brain long to clear up his workbench and safely dispose of things – he’d come over halfway through to show me the results of his failed experiment, a misshapen lump of crystal the size of his palm that was now ‘about as useful magically as a paperweight’ and much, much heavier than I expected – and once he’d finished there he came back to help me. Which was good, because my arms were getting tired!

“Have you considered you might have just a _few_ too many books?” I asked him, teetering on tiptoe to slide another book onto the top of a pile.

“Nope,” he replied dryly, sitting beside me flipping through the book he was holding. That was the only downside; he kept stopping to read the books he was supposed to be stacking up! “Never crossed my mind.”

“Well, consider it,” I told him with a huff, trying to lift a thick tome on spells. “This is ridiculous.” Brain reached out and took the book from me, slotting it into place on the top of the pile. He closed the book he’d been looking through and added it as well. “Thanks.” I paused, surveying the room. We were making progress. “Maybe you should get a proper workroom, too…” No matter how careful Brain was, or how good he was at synthesis, it surely had to be dangerous to live in the same place as your workshop? The Master of Masters had one. It was where I’d been born, after all.

“A workroom?” Brain repeated, surprised. “Hmm, that’d be nice.” He rested his chin on a hand, smiling wistfully. “One day, maybe.”

“One day, for sure!” I countered, filled with determination. We could make that happen, right? Brain blinked, startled at the strength of my conviction, before he laughed.

“For sure,” he agreed, reaching out to snag his hat off my head so that he could pat me. “For now though,” he continued, settling his hat back into place on his own head, “guess we should keep cleaning this one. We’re almost done.” Brain looked around at the piles of books surrounding us. “Maybe I _should_ find a way to store all these properly…”

“I’m holding you to that!” I announced, poking Brain in the leg. As he laughingly complained, rubbing his leg, I tried not to think about the way my head felt oddly bereft without Brain’s hat.

**+++**

The sun was starting its slow descent from afternoon into evening as I hurried up the hill to our usual spot, Brain following at a much more leisurely pace with hands in pockets. “Hurry up, slowpoke!” I called over my shoulder. We’d come up here to watch the sunset and I didn’t want to miss it!

“I’ll get there when I get there,” Brain called back, not increasing his speed even the slightest. “The sun won’t set for another hour, anyway.”

I knew that, but I ignored him.

The view from up here was as breath-taking as always, especially in the setting sun. It looked like something out of a picture book of fairy tales. Other worlds might have grand castles or bustling bazaars, but Daybreak Town was my home, and I loved it.

Grass rustled behind me and I turned around to see Brain taking a seat in his usual spot, leaning back on his hands with a sigh. He smiled at me when he noticed me looking and patted the grass next to him in invitation, an invitation I happily took up by plonking down beside him. I sighed in contentment, leaning back against his leg to look up at the stars I could see above us. Other worlds, all connected to us by light.

“You look happy,” Brain commented, looking down at me.

For a very simple reason: I _was_ happy. I sat up, twisting to face Brain. “You did good work today!” I praised him. “I’m really proud of all the progress you’ve been making lately!”

Brain grinned. “That’s ‘cause I’ve had you to help me,” he countered, reaching out to pat me on the head. I gave an embarrassed mumble – I don’t really know what I said, to be honest – and ducked my head shyly under his hand. Brain chuckled quietly, before putting his hand back down on the grass and tilting his head up to look at the stars like I had been just a few moments ago.

I didn’t look at the stars though; this time I was watching Brain. The light of the fading sun made the edges of his skin glow, and his hair seem darker than ever, his earring a point of silver amongst the black. His hat was pushed back as he contemplated the sky, his smile faded into seriousness. He didn’t seem sad, exactly, but it did feel like he had some heavy thoughts that were weighing on him. I’d had this feeling for most of the day, but so far Brain hadn’t said anything. Maybe I could help, somehow.

“Is everything okay?” I asked, unable to hide my concern. “You’ve been kinda quiet today.”

“Hm?” Brain blinked, transferring his gaze to me. “No, it’s…” He hesitated, lips compressing into a line before he seemed to come to some internal decision. He sat up, fishing in his pocket for something and holding it out to me. I leaned in, peering at it. In his hand was a bangle, wide and gold and set with a pretty gem; overall, an odd item for someone like Brain to have, though it seemed kinda familiar. “Do you know what this is?” he asked.

I squinted up at him suspiciously, then back at the bangle in his hand. Was this some kind of trick? “Well,” I said cautiously, “it _looks_ like a bangle…” More specifically, the kind of bangle that came with boosting properties for Keyblade wielders like Brain.

Brain snickered, smothering it with the back of a hand. “Well, you’re not wrong,” he allowed. “It’s a Power Bangle, apparently. It’s meant to boost my attacks.”

He sounded kinda dubious about it, though. Was it a fake or something? “Where’d you get that?” I asked curiously, holding out my paws in a silent plea for a closer look.

“From you,” Brain said casually, handing it over. “Or so I was supposed to think, anyway.”

I fumbled and almost dropped the bangle in my surprise. “Whaaaaaaaaat?! I didn’t give you this!” I clutched the bangle to my chest, staring up at Brain with wide eyes.

“I was walking back from the markets this morning when you showed up and handed it to me,” he told me matter-of-factly.

“I definitely didn’t do that!” I spluttered, waving my arms around plaintively.

Brain placed a hand on my head, stopping me from bouncing up and down in agitation. “Yeah, that’s what I thought,” he said calmly, and most of my indignant surprise fell away. “But thank you for confirming it,” he added, giving my head a gentle pat. “I’m pretty sure I was meant to assume it was you though, judging by how that other Chirithy was acting… even though it was obvious it wasn’t.”

Other Chirithy? My mind immediately jumped to the Chirithy I talked to sometimes on the top of the clocktower, but that was silly. We were just two of many; another Chirithy could be any of us. Part of me bristled at another Chirithy pretending to be me and trying to mislead Brain! How rude! _I_ was his Chirithy!

Not to mention –

“Wow, you can tell us apart?” I asked, nonplussed. It was surprising to hear that Brain had apparently figured out this imposter Chirithy wasn’t me. I mean, Brain was super smart and all, but how do you tell one raindrop apart from another?

“Of course?” Brain replied, frowning like he wasn’t sure this should even be a question. He looked so confused that I took pity on him. It always seemed like he knew so much that it was surprising when there was something obvious he didn’t know.

“All us Chirithies come from the same place,” I explained patiently. “We’re basically just copies of each other.” At this, Brain straightened from his usual slouch, looking indignant. I continued before he could interrupt. “You could tell this one wasn’t me? Most people can’t.”

It was something I’d long been used to – been born knowing, really – but it was sweet how upset Brain seemed to be over the idea of it. “Then they aren’t paying enough attention,” he declared, grey eyes dark under a frown.

“It’s okay!” I hastened to add, patting his arm. “It’s just how we were made. We’re meant to be support companions – generic and likeable. And helpful!”

I’d meant it as an explanation, but if anything, Brain grew more upset. “Don’t dismiss yourself so much like that,” he said heatedly, tipping his hat back so that he could meet my eyes properly. He waved an arm in agitation; although neither of us realised it, he looked a lot like me in the middle of one of my rants. “You might be the only Chirithy I know very well, but I’ve met enough others to realise you’re not identical in personality! And you don’t even realise –!” He cut off the rest of his sentence, taking a deep breath and rubbing his forehead tiredly. “Maybe you all started off the same,” he continued in a calmer tone, “but all of you bonded with different Keyblade wielders. Maybe that influences you all somehow, whether it’s something in the connection or just adapting to your partner’s needs, I’m not sure. But you’re my friend, and I know when it’s you.” Brain looked at me, grey eyes intense, and I shivered. “That Chirithy tried pretending they were you, but their attitude was all wrong, and they dodged pretty much every single question I tried to ask about this thing.” He touched the bangle in my paws lightly. I nodded sagely; that had been dumb of the other me. Brain smiled at me, soft and kind, though his eyes were sad. “You always try your best to help me understand things, even if you don’t understand them that well either.”

My eyes widened. I really had been trying my hardest, especially when I saw how much it meant to Brain to have someone answer him, even if the answer was just ‘I don’t know, let’s find out.’ I hadn’t really expected Brain to notice, though – after all, I was just doing my job as a Chirithy – but he had. To my embarrassment, I felt grateful tears build at the corner of my eyes.

Brain’s eyes widened – I don’t think he’d ever seen me almost cry before – but before the tears could fall, he swept me up into a hug. He’d been getting better at them ever since that day in the flower glade, and now there was no hesitation in the way his arms wrapped around me. “I’m always so grateful that you do,” Brain said quietly. “Thank you.”

My heart welled up with happiness. If a tear or two – or five – managed to escape, well, no-one else but Brain could see me, and he didn’t mention it. I hugged him back with all my strength, sniffling a bit.

Brain rested his chin on top of my head. “Besides,” he added suddenly, “that other Chirithy seemed to think I cared about getting stronger.” I couldn’t help it; I snorted, scrubbing at my eyes. That was the least of Brain’s goals. “Yeah, exactly. Like I said: pretty obvious it wasn’t you.” He stretched out, leaning back on his hands yet again. “I pretended we had later plans too and they fell for it, if I’d actually needed proof by that point.”

I examined the bangle in my paws, mulling it all over. “So, it’s a trap?” A trap for what, though? It was all very strange. And why Brain, of all people?

“Or something,” Brain agreed. He sighed. “I don’t know. It’s suspicious, though."

“So what’re you gonna do?” I asked, handing the bangle back to Brain. He took it with a contemplative hum, turning it over in his hands. I waited patiently, watching his brow furrow in thought.

“Well,” he said eventually, thinking aloud as he usually did. “There’s really only two options – wear it or not. And whether to tell someone, or not,” he added, tapping the bangle against his palm. “Tell who, though? And tell them what? A Chirithy gave me a power-up item?” He huffed a laugh. “It sounds kind of absurd to paint it as a problem.”

“Yeah…” I trailed off; Brain had a point. I made a point of my own: “I mean, it’s not suuuuuuper uncommon to have us act as messengers.” There had been a few times that another Chirithy had come to Brain’s door to swap for potions, rather than their partner. We might tend to stick close to our chosen wielders – whether seen or not – but that didn’t mean we couldn’t do our own thing.

Brain tilted his head to the side, considering. “But then who sent the other Chirithy?”

I had no idea. “The Foretellers…?” I guessed.

He smiled wryly. “Well, maybe.” He tapped the bangle. “I recognise this, though – I’ve seen other wielders from all the Unions wearing them. So _someone_ wants us all to have them, not just me specifically, if it’s the same Chirithy handing them out to everyone. And collecting Guilt, along with Lux – something about that doesn’t sit right with me. Guilt isn’t a healthy emotion, and I can’t see how that helps us fight the darkness…”

I nodded. “It sounds pretty suspicious.”

“Exactly.” Brain grinned at me, then sighed. “Well, if it’s a choice of wear it or not…… I’ll hold onto it, but I don’t think I’ll wear it. The circumstances are too suspicious, and I don’t know enough yet.”

“And telling someone?” I asked worriedly.

Brain chewed on his lip for a moment. “I feel like I should, even if it’s nothing,” he said slowly. “But really, only the Foretellers would have the power to do anything about this now that the Master of Masters is gone, and you don’t see them around town much these days – even Master Ava.” He bounced the bangle on his hand and then pocketed it, settling back into place with a sigh. “If I see Master Ava, I’ll tell her about it.” Brain shrugged. “Can’t really do much else.”

“Yeah…” Now that Brain mentioned it, I realised the Foretellers _had_ been scarce lately. That wasn’t good; we had more Keyblade wielders than ever, and we needed their guidance for the Unions to run peacefully. It wasn’t like Brain and I could really investigate either – Brain might insist that all us Chirithies were different, but we definitely all looked identical and there were a lot of us. Finding a single Chirithy – especially if it was a rogue Chirithy, which seemed almost unreal to me – would be way too hard for just the two of us!

We fell silent. Brain tilted his head back to contemplate the sky again. “It’d be nice to talk to Master Ava again,” he said wistfully. “It’s been a while. I found a book I really think she’d like.”

I perked up. His voice sounded so gentle when he talked about Master Ava, that sometimes I wondered… “Oh?” I asked slyly. “Since when have you two had a book club?”

Brain looked down at me, narrowing his eyes suspiciously at my tone. Uh oh! I put on an expression of wide-eyed innocence, which only made his eyes narrow further. “A while now,” he said vaguely, then grinned at me. “Before I met you, actually.” He poked me gently in the forehead. “I’d invite you to join, but you don’t read.”

Brain did enough reading for the both of us, but still, I had my pride! “I do too read!” I retorted indignantly.

“Oh yeah?” Brain replied, still grinning. “Name one book you’ve read.”

I floundered. “Uhh… the one with the… uh, spells and stuff?”

“Uh-huh,” Brain said, sounding sceptical and still looking extremely amused. I waved my arms frantically, trying to think of something.

“The Book of Prophecies!” I blurted out, before immediately covering my face in embarrassment. Why was _that_ the only book I could think of? As if Brain was going to believe that!

Brain’s eyebrows rose high enough that they almost disappeared under the brim of his hat. “You’ve read the Book of Prophecies?”

“Well… no,” I admitted. I flopped face first across his legs, defeated, and continued in a mumble, “that’s Foreteller stuff.” I thought about it for a moment and reconsidered. “Maybe the Foretellers’ Chirithies have read it though, I don’t know…”

“I see.” He didn’t laugh, but I could hear the smile in his voice. Still, he patted me sympathetically on the back, which was nice. “That’s okay,” he continued, hooking his hands under my arms and picking me up from my dejected pose. “You can be our mascot.”

He set me down on his lap and leaned back on his hands. I looked up at him eagerly. “Really?”

“Yep,” he confirmed with a smile, nodding. “Master Ava would agree with me.”

“O-Oh…” Suddenly shy, I looked down at my paws, fidgeting. I’d never been a mascot of anything before… Was Brain just teasing me? I peeked up at him; he winked at me, smile turning mischievous. He _was_ teasing me! At least a little bit, anyway. Well, if he was gonna be like that…! “Do I get to wear your hat?” I asked, feeling emboldened.

“My hat?” Brain repeated, blinking in confusion. I nodded firmly, and he huffed a laugh. “Well, if you want.” He reached up and removed his hat, setting it down on my head carefully. “There you go. A proper mascot.”

I couldn’t help it; I giggled. Brain grinned at me, his hair free to gently sway in the evening breeze. “Oh, look!” I said suddenly, pointing away from Daybreak Town. “The sun is starting to set!”

Brain followed my paw, looking out over the horizon. “So it is.” He voiced no complaints as I made myself comfortable on his lap. Over our heads, the familiar pre-dawn colour of the sky deepened from blue to purple, making the pinks and oranges on the horizon into vivid streaks of glowing colour. Glancing towards Daybreak Town, every purple roof seemed radiant in the sunset light. I hummed happily. The sunset was gorgeous, the hill peaceful and best of all, it seemed like the heavy thoughts that had been weighing on Brain had lightened now that he’d spoken them aloud. Life was good.

“Hey, Chirithy,” Brain said after a while, breaking the contemplative silence. I tilted my head back until it was resting against his chest, meeting that serious grey gaze. In the setting sun, Brain _glowed_ , his hair hanging around his face as he looked down at me. “About what we were talking about before… you should appreciate yourself more. You might be one Chirithy of many, but there’s no other Chirithy like you. You’re not a copy. You’re the Chirithy that’s my friend.” He smiled softly. “My best friend. So don’t talk down on yourself anymore, okay?”

“Okay,” I sniffled, pulling Brain’s hat low over my eyes and tried to surreptitiously rub at my eyes. I think Brain knew what I was doing – after all, he did the same thing when he didn’t want people to see him – but thankfully he didn’t say anything, just gently scratched behind my ear.

A gorgeous sunset, a beautiful hometown, a peaceful hill with my favourite person next to me… and you know what? My heart felt pretty light too.

Life was good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's not an ominous ending at all! Nope! :D
> 
> Daybreak Town is beautiful in the sunset in this fic but I gotta say, the actual in-game graphics for Daybreak sunsets? Eye-searingly awful, I feel like I'm in some kind of hell?? Why is it like that???
> 
> Also I'm with Chirithy, the Moogle in Daybreak is scary hahaha
> 
> Anyway, thanks as always for reading! Happy Halloween everyone!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “So, Dandelions, huh?” 
> 
> Guess it's time to talk about that war on the horizon...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enter Master Ava! \ o /
> 
> I meant to post this chapter up a lot sooner but I've been super tired the past week and didn't have the energy... gonna make more of an effort to get back to my original posting schedule though! This chapter's a long one, because I couldn't find a good place to cut it haha

Another day, another nap upon the hill in Brain’s favourite napping spot. It was a rest day for us both, and Brain had decided earlier that he didn’t intend to do anything else but lay in the grass and soak up some sun. I had no objections, so the morning found us both snoozing comfortably in the sunshine. Brain’s hat was pulled low over his face to block out the light; his chest gently rose and fell with the slow breathing of deep sleep. Usually he didn’t sleep quite so deeply, out in the open like this, but with me here to guard him – or at least wake him – he evidently felt safe enough to fall asleep properly. His trust in me still made my heart glow with warmth.

Brain made a very comfortable pillow to lean back against; the steady movement of his chest and the warm sun soon lulled me into a drowsy state. That’s not to say I was neglecting my guard duties though! Us Chirithies don’t actually sleep, after all. But it was nice to rest here with my partner.

For a long time, it was just us and the grass and the flowers, the warm sun and a gentle breeze. My ears twitched at the whisper of footsteps moving through grass, bringing me swiftly back to alertness. I opened my eyes to the sight of a pink-robed figure delicately making her way towards us, avoiding the patches of flowers that sprouted here and there.

“Master Ava!” I said in surprise. As Brain had said once before, the Foretellers had been rather absent around town recently. Brain and I hadn’t had much chance to chat with Master Ava the way we could before. I knew this disappointed Brain – there was a small pile of books on his desk he’d been collecting that he thought Master Ava would like – but he seemed content with just catching sight of her every now and then, to know she was okay.

“Hello, Chirithy,” Master Ava said with a smile as she reached us. She glanced behind me to where Brain lay sleeping, and the corners of her lips curled up a little more. “I see Brain is rubbing off on you,” she laughed.

“It’s a rest day,” I hastened to explain, rubbing the back of my head sheepishly. “It seemed like a nice day for a nap.”

“So it is,” Master Ava said. “I’m sorry to interrupt your nap, then.”

“That’s okay!” I said cheerfully. “We can nap anytime.” Brain still hadn’t woken up; he slept like a log once he dropped off properly. I shook him with all my strength, though barely managing to budge him. “Brain, Brain, wake up! Master Ava’s here!” I announced. Brain grumbled unintelligibly, shifting away from me slightly. I felt kinda bad for waking him when he was sleeping so peacefully, but I knew he’d rather have a chance to talk to Master Ava than to keep sleeping. I poked him in the side.

Brain jolted awake with a startled noise, his hat falling onto his chest as he pushed himself up. He blinked at me sleepily. “Chirithy, what…?” He registered the pink-robed presence beside us, and sleepiness fell away in favour of a wide grin. “Oh! Master Ava!” He sat up properly, crossing his legs and stretching. “It’s good to see you.”

“Hello, Brain,” she replied, laughing quietly. I handed Brain back his fallen hat as Master Ava spread her skirts and settled down comfortably beside us on the grass. “I thought I might find you here,” she continued. “It’s been a while.”

“Yeah, it has,” Brain agreed, moving his hands out of the way as I crawled into the circle of his crossed legs. He patted my head briefly in response and then leaned back casually on his hands.

“How’s your potions shop going?” Master Ava asked curiously.

Brain snorted. “I wouldn’t exactly call it a ‘potions shop’.”

“Oh?” Master Ava asked, a mischievous grin on her face. “That’s not what I’ve heard from a certain Moogle.” Brain groaned, smacking a hand across his face in exasperation. Master Ava’s grin grew wider. “He’s pretty annoyed at his unknown ‘business rival’, it seems,” she added innocently.

“Argh,” Brain replied quietly, with feeling. He let his hand fall. “Well, there’s been more people than ever coming to me for health items, so I’ve been fairly busy, but it’s not – it’s not like that.” He paused, looking towards Master Ava. “Speaking of being busy, I was starting to get a bit worried.”

“Worried?” she repeated, sounding surprised. “Oh, for me?”

“Yeah,” Brain confirmed with a nod, his face serious. He glanced at Master Ava out of the corner of his eye. “There’ve been rumours flying around lately… about discord amongst the Foretellers, that kind of thing.”

“I see…” Master Ava said softly, shoulders slumping. Brain sat up a little straighter, alarmed at the sudden change in mood. She clasped her hands together in her lap, bowing her head to study them. “Well, rumours usually do have some grain of truth to them…”

“You mean it’s true?!” I burst out, startled. I twisted around to look up at Brain, but he looked as startled as me – at least until a thought seemed to strike him, grey eyes narrowing in consideration. I turned back to the despondent Master Ava. “But why?” I asked, ears drooping. It wasn’t good for the Foretellers of all people to be fighting! We needed them to run the Unions and the city, and if their disagreement was strong enough to have sparked even a rumour…!

Master Ava didn’t respond, just stared down at her hands.

“Does it have something to do with the bangle I showed you?” Brain asked slowly, like he was rearranging possibilities in his head even as he spoke.

Master Ava sighed. “Yes,” she admitted. “…But please, don’t ask me to talk about it.”

“But–!” Brain rested a hand gently on my head, cutting my protest short. When I looked up at him in confusion, he shook his head very slightly at me, studying Master Ava with concern in his grey eyes. My own eyes widened in surprise; Brain, who loved asking questions, choosing not to ask them? But then, I guess Master Ava had requested that we not ask, and he wanted to respect that. I slumped, silently conceding. Still though, I really wanted to know!

Brain scratched behind my ear gently in a silent thank you and returned his attention to Master Ava. He chewed on his lip for a moment, then asked hesitantly, “Master Ava, are you alright?”

Looking at Master Ava, I could see why Brain was concerned. She was still staring at her hands in her lap, clasped tightly together. Her entire posture seemed drawn in on herself and her chin trembled a bit, like she was close to tears. Brain shifted closer, his knee brushing against hers, a hand hovering hesitantly over her shoulder. He made contact gently. “Master Ava?”

She jumped a bit, like she had forgotten we were both there. “Huh?”

“Are you alright?” Brain repeated, brows creased in a worried frown. “I can’t imagine what it must be like, being a Foreteller. It must be a lot of heavy responsibility on your shoulders; I don’t think I’d enjoy it.” He grinned lopsidedly. “Too much worry and work.”

Master Ava smiled in response; a small smile, but it was there nonetheless. “I think you’re selling yourself short, Brain.” Brain snorted, returning his hand to the grass. He stayed where he was, though. “You’re right, though,” she continued. “It is a lot of responsibility… but the Master entrusted me with this role, and I must fulfil it.”

“Better you than me,” Brain commented dryly, grinning. Master Ava swayed sideways, bumping her shoulder against his playfully, and he huffed a laugh in response. “I wouldn’t worry, though, you’ve been doing a good job this far.”

“Thank you,” Master Ava replied, beaming at him. Then she sighed, some of her regained cheerfulness fading again. “But… I am worried.” She smoothed her skirts before locking her fingers together again. Brain waited patiently for her to gather her thoughts; I waited less patiently, though I stayed quiet. “Thing are happening lately that I worry are going to tumble us down a dark path, and this is only the first stone,” she said finally, her voice quiet and serious. She turned to Brain. “Those bangles… you haven’t equipped yours, right?”

Brain leant on one hand, rocking me sideways as he used his other hand to fish the bangle out of his coat pocket. “Nope, see?” he said, showing it off on his palm briefly before pocketing it again. He settled back into place. “Like I told you, I don’t trust it.”

“Clever as always, Brain,” Master Ava told him with a soft smile. Brain ducked his head slightly, tilting his hat forward to hide his eyes, but I could see the pleased smile on his face. “You have good instincts, so keep trusting in them. Those bangles…” Her breath hitched; her voice wobbled a bit as she continued, looking down at her hands clasped tightly in her lap. “They’ve tricked so many wielders into using the power of darkness…”

Beneath me, I felt Brain’s body go stiff with shock. I wasn’t much better, bolting upright. “The power of darkness?!” I cried. Keyblade wielders, using the power of darkness? This was awful!

Master Ava nodded, unable to speak. Her hands were trembling slightly, I noticed. I shared a panicked look with Brain, trying to figure out the best way to comfort Master Ava. Hugs always seemed to make Brain feel better, so maybe the same would go for Master Ava? She might not be my bonded partner, but I still didn’t like seeing her sad, and I could sense that Brain didn’t either.

I climbed out of Brain’s lap and tumbled forward into Master Ava’s, who had to quickly move her hands out of the way. Once the dizziness of my roll had faded, I threw my arms around her waist as much as I could and squeezed in a genuine Chirithy hug. I’d gotten a lot of practice with Brain; I was good at hugs! I heard a startled intake of breath before Master Ava’s arms were wrapping around me, hugging me back. It wasn’t the same as hugging Brain, of course, but the way their hugs were bursting with warmth was the same. I felt Master Ava press her face against the top of my head for a moment, the cool porcelain of her mask smooth against my fur. _Poor Master Ava… she has to act so strong for the rest of us, but she’s actually really upset._

Eventually, Master Ava sniffled and loosened her hold. “Thank you, Chirithy,” she whispered, and straightened. I looked away as she slipped a thumb under her mask – to wipe away tears? – and caught sight of Brain politely averting his eyes as well, to give Master Ava a moment of privacy. He motioned at me to stay where I was, so I settled back into Master Ava’s lap. She rested a hand on my head, absently petting me, and I wasn’t sure if the comfort was meant for her or myself. “Is there no way to stop them…?” I asked sadly, voice small.

Master Ava shook her head. “Too many wielders in all the Unions have equipped them…” she sighed. “It would be too hard to get everyone to stop using them.”

Brain made a ‘hrm’ sound, hand against his chin as he frowned in concentration. He had his thinking face on again. “Master Ava,” he asked slowly, grey eyes dark and unreadable. “When you said ‘ _they’ve_ ’ tricked people… who did you mean?”

I turned wide eyes back to Master Ava as she shook her head again. “We don’t know…” she confessed with a sigh, looking down at me. “Ira found a Nightmare Chirithy, but we don’t know who it belongs to.” Her hand stilled upon my head as I tried to suppress a shiver. A Nightmare!

“A Nightmare?” Brain repeated with a confused frown, unknowingly echoing my thoughts. He was sitting up straight now, his attention on Master Ava. “What’s that?”

I answered for Master Ava. “A Spirit turned to darkness.” Brain dropped that grey gaze to me. I couldn’t help hitching my shoulders under the scrutiny and wrung my paws worriedly. _A Nightmare Chirithy… this isn’t good._ The hand on my head started moving again, scratching behind my ear in an attempt to soothe me. “I told you,” I continued, meeting Brain’s eyes. “Us Chirithies are linked to our wielders – if one of you falls to darkness and fades, we fade away too – or so I thought…” I trailed off, unsure.

Brain mulled this over. “So, a Chirithy turned Nightmare means a wielder corrupted by darkness, but one who didn’t fade?” he asked after a moment, brows drawn together. His hat was shadowing his eyes again.

“So it seems,” I agreed solemnly, ears drooping. Master Ava drew me in a little closer in the circle of her arms, the barest almost-hug, and I leaned into it.

“That’s not good,” Brain muttered, his mouth twisted in a frown.

“That’s an understatement!” I exclaimed, waving my arms in agitation. Another me, turned to darkness, who had given away items designed to make more wielders fall to darkness… just the idea of it made me feel nauseous. We were meant to guide our Keyblade wielders down the path of light, make sure they stayed strong and healthy, not corrupt them! And this other me had been near Brain! Had tried to trick him! If Brain hadn’t been suspicious…. If he hadn’t figured out that it wasn’t me… then he might have been… he might have…

A large, warm hand landed on my head, gently rubbing back and forth. “Hey, it’s ok, I’m here,” Brain said softly, and smiled at me when I raised watery eyes to look at him. Our bond was glowing bright and warm in my heart as always, and I held onto that as I sniffled and rubbed my eyes dry. Brain was right. He was here, and what-might-have-beens didn’t matter. I let out a long breath and nodded, raising a paw to touch his hand atop my head. I would protect Brain, no matter what. It was my duty as his Chirithy, and as his friend!

It was hard not to stomp over and pull that cursed bangle from Brain’s pocket and throw it over the cliff where it would be far, far away from Brain, though. But then someone else might find it, and that would be just as bad… Brain’s smile grew into a grin, like he could hear my thoughts. He squeezed my paw reassuringly and let go, straightening back up. “And there’s no way to tell whose Chirithy it was?” he asked, directing his question at Master Ava.

She shook her head again. “No…”

“I told you, most people can’t tell us apart.” Even the Foretellers would have trouble. Maybe the Master of Masters would have been able to – after all, he made us – but no one had ever thought to ask him, and now of course, he was gone.

Brain acknowledged this with a short hum, still deep in thought. Master Ava sighed, her shoulders slumping, and the sound seemed to startle Brain out of his thoughts. “Don’t worry, Master Ava,” he said in that same reassuring tone he’d used on me. Somehow, it made me feel like we could solve this. He reached out, hesitating only briefly before his hand settled gently over hers, clenched in the fabric of her robes. “We’ll figure something out.”

The corners of her lips lifted in a small, sad smile. “You’re sweet for offering, but this isn’t something you should have to worry about,” she replied. “This is the Foretellers’ responsibility to fix.” Master Ava released her handful of fabric, smoothing it out before flipping her hand over to catch Brain’s hand in her own. A squeeze of thanks, her thumb brushing across his wrist, before she released his hand and withdrew. Brain’s hand hovered for a moment uncertainly before it returned to his lap.

“Master Ava…” The words were half a protest and half concern, Brain’s face a mix of frustration and helplessness. I could understand his feelings – Brain had always focused on a support role because he liked to be able to help people. That he was faced with a problem he couldn’t solve – that it was a _friend_ who he couldn’t help – must sting. I wanted to help Master Ava too, but I had no idea where to even start.

Master Ava huffed in amusement, straightening up into a more composed state. “Once again you have me confessing things that I don’t normally tell others,” she said softly, her voice low. Brain’s head jerked up, helplessness jumping to startlement with widened eyes. Master Ava must have noticed, because she laughed under her breath. “What, did you think I would tell just anyone my worries?” she said in a teasing tone. Her voice still held a note of sadness, but Brain took his cue from her words.

Brain tilted his head like he was considering the question seriously. “Well… you _are_ kinda strange for a Foreteller,” he replied, his wide grin taking any sting out of his words. I groaned quietly, hiding my face in my paw for a moment.

Master Ava snorted, bumping her shoulder against Brain’s. “Oh, strange, am I?” she retorted, her mock-stern voice ruined completely by the smile she was trying – and failing – to hide.

“In a good way!” Brain protested. Master Ava broke, her smile becoming laughter. It was a good sound to hear after how upset she had been earlier, like watching the sun come out after a storm. Brain caught my eye and winked; I guess that had been his goal. “You talk to all the people in your Union,” he continued, sounding more serious, “so you always feel more… real, than the other Foretellers, I guess.”

She hid a soft giggle behind a hand. “Is that so…?” she asked. Brain grumbled quietly, tipping his hat down to hide his face. His grumbling drew a smile from Master Ava as she looked out over Daybreak Town. “I enjoy talking to you,” she confessed, leaning back on her hands much like Brain had earlier. “Somehow, it always sets my mind at ease no matter how worried I am.” I knew the feeling. The way Brain always confidently took on problems made me feel like I could take them on too. Her smile turned impish as she turned back to Brain. “You know you can call me Ava, right?”

Brain’s eyebrows shot up in surprise; his face said that no, this was not a thing he had ever considered. As for me, I reeled with shock, gaping up at Master Ava. Call a Foreteller by their _name_?! “Whaaaaaaaat?!” My cry was loud enough for both Brain and me.

If anything, the amused look on Master Ava’s face grew as she glanced between us. “We’re friends, aren’t we?” she pointed out. “You don’t have to be so formal.” Brain blinked, clearly still processing this. While he was occupied, Master Ava glanced down at me and grinned, secret and cheeky, and suddenly I understood.

_I don’t think Brain really knows yet what to do with people who want to be close to him_.

_Friends… oh!_ _I’ve… not had one of those before either…_

For such an observant guy, Brain could be kind of dense when it came to himself. It had taken long enough for him to realise that the two of us were friends, after all! So it was altogether possible that he hadn’t realised that Master Ava considered him a friend as well. I could have told him as much aaaages ago, but I’d always had the feeling he wouldn’t believe me. A Foreteller, friends with just a regular wielder? Never mind that Brain was far from a run-of-the-mill Keyblade wielder himself – maybe not in Keyblade skill, but his heart had all the makings of a Master.

It seemed like Master Ava had come to the same conclusion. Brain surely couldn’t object if it were Master Ava declaring they were friends though, right? I snuck a glance at Brain; he still looked every bit as bewildered as he had at Master Ava’s first declaration. Before the silence could threaten to stretch for too long, I leaned across Master Ava’s thigh and smacked Brain’s leg to snap him out of whatever thought process he’d got stuck in.

It worked; Brain jumped. “Ow, Chirithy!” he complained, rubbing his leg. He turned a distinctly unimpressed look upon me. “What was that for?”

“Are you gonna answer Master Ava?” I replied pointedly. I tried not to feel guilty; I hadn’t hit him that hard! Brain narrowed his eyes at me. Before I could register what was happening, there was a hand in my face gently shoving me backwards into Master Ava’s lap. I flailed for a moment. “Hey!”

Brain grinned unrepentantly at me when I straightened myself out, completely unaffected by my glare. Master Ava giggled, setting a hand on top of my head. I subsided, grumbling – although to tell the truth, I wasn’t really that annoyed, but I wasn’t about to admit it. At least Brain had stopped looking so poleaxed by the whole conversation.

He leant back casually, hands buried in the grass behind him. “Of course we’re friends,” he told Master Ava matter-of-factly, leading to my second shock of the day. Maybe Brain was getting better at this. “But a Union member calling a Foreteller by their first name?” he continued, shaking his head at the idea. “That’s way too out of the ordinary. I prefer not to draw attention to myself.”

Oh… I guess I hadn’t really thought about it like that. Brain disliked being in the spotlight at the best of times, and now with all the tensions between the Unions…

Strangely, Master Ava just smiled. “Says the person running an underground Potion market,” she teased, bumping her shoulder against Brain’s again.

“It’s not a –” Brain began exasperatedly, before just cutting off with a longsuffering sigh. Master Ava laughed, bright and open.

“Well, just when it’s us then. Two friends talking,” she suggested.

“And me!” I piped up. Honestly, did they forget about me?

Brain snorted quietly. Master Ava looked down at me, laughter dancing in the curve of her smile. “Three friends, then,” she agreed.

Both of us turned expectantly to Brain; I was practically bouncing with excitement. Brain eyed us both with amusement clear on his face before he sighed, tipping his head back. “Well, if you insist,” he conceded, looking back at us with a lazy grin. I whooped, tumbling into Brain’s lap and startling a laugh out of him.

Master Ava grinned. “I do,” she replied in a firm voice.

Brain shot her a side-long glance as he righted me in his lap. “Master Ava, help me, I’m being bullied by a Foreteller,” he intoned, completely deadpan.

Master Ava’s laughter was warm like sunshine. “Ava!” she insisted.

Brain grinned. “…Ava.”

He said her name with care, like he had been handed something precious. Master Ava beamed back. “See, that wasn’t so hard,” she teased.

Brain flopped backwards onto the grass, sending me sprawling across his stomach with a startled noise. “It was exhausting,” he announced, catching me before I could roll off and steadying me with a hand. “And now I need a nap.” He tipped his hat down with his other hand, but from where I lay I could see the mischievous grin on his face.

Master Ava – no, I could call her Ava too, right? – Ava giggled, reaching over to pluck Brain’s hat from his face. “I came all this way to see you, and you’re just going to nap?” she asked, leaning in to catch his eye. Brain made a considering noise, scratching me behind the ear.

“Well, I guess I could hold off on the nap,” he allowed, using his other arm to pillow his head. He smiled up at Ava. “Since you came all this way.” Ava grinned back at him, and promptly dropped his hat back over his face. Brain spluttered and I snickered loudly into my paws, alongside Master Ava’s quiet giggle. That soft smile Brain only ever got around Master Ava was still there though, when he pushed his hat back into a better position.

I blinked. _Oh._

The conversation carried on from there, idle and light as they chatted about books they had read, Brain’s training and experiments, the flowers that Ava had been coaxing to grow – small things, everyday things, because it really had been a while since they’d had a chance to talk. I settled into a comfier position, curling up on Brain’s stomach and just letting their voices wash over me, jostled every now and then by Brain shaking as he laughed. I really loved the sound of Brain’s laughter; soft and warm and content, like the feeling I got when we curled up in Brain’s armchair so that he could read his newest book. Ava’s laughter was lighter, brighter – like the sunshine I had compared it to earlier. It was nice, listening to them; I could easily fall asleep like this. If Chirithies slept, of course.

Eventually, however, the quiet conversation drifted into silence. Brain studied Ava as she plucked at the grass in front of her. “As nice as this is,” he said, grey eyes serious, “I still get the feeling you didn’t come all the way up here just for a simple chat.” I blinked in surprise, turning my attention to Master Ava.

Ava sighed. “Sometimes, you’re too astute,” she muttered, barely audible even to my ears. I doubt Brain heard it. “You’re right,” Ava agreed at a more normal volume. She twirled a stalk of grass between her fingers. “I have a favour to ask of you. Well, not a favour,” she amended, shaking her head slightly. “A proposition.”

Brain and I exchanged quick, surprised glances. What in the light could Master Ava want? “…I’m listening,” Brain replied, tilting his head curiously.

Ava hesitated before she spoke. “What do you think of the Unions?” she asked eventually, turning her face towards Brain.

Brain blinked, surprised. “The Unions…?” he repeated. “Hrm.” His furrowed brows told me he found the question odd, but he still took long seconds to mull over his answer with serious thought. Brain turned his head to stare up at the clouds as he spoke. “Honestly? They seem pretty counter-productive to me.”

“How so?”

Brain shrugged carelessly, shoulders scraping through the grass. “Well, I can understand wanting to motivate everyone to gather as much Lux as they can by making it a competition,” he explained, scratching me idly behind the ear. Mm, that felt nice. “But at the end of the day,” he continued, “we’re all effectively working towards the same goal. I’ve asked people in other Unions, and they have the same goal as Vulpes: to collect Lux. There’s no prize for winning – it’s not even something that _can_ be won – so why bother to divide us needlessly like this?”

My instinctive protest – that it was everyone’s job to collect as much Lux as possible for their Unions – died in my throat. I’d long since accepted that Brain didn’t place that much importance on collecting Lux, even if that didn’t match up with the rules I had been born knowing, because he had a goal that was just as important, and I had vowed as his partner to help him achieve it. But even so, I’d never really questioned the point of the Unions; after all, that was just the way things were. Of course, I should have expected that Brain would have questioned it. It was what he did best, after all. And he raised a good point – why did it matter what Union was collecting the Lux, as long as the Lux got collected in the end?

“’Divide us’, huh…” Ava repeated, her mouth turning down. “You’re not far off.”

Brain frowned. “Huh?”

Ava stared down at the stalk of grass in her hands, before letting it fall. Her voice was sombre when she spoke. “What if I told you there was going to be a war?”

“A war?!” Brain and I exclaimed together. He jolted upright, staring at Master Ava with wide eyes, not even noticing his hat had fallen to the ground. I went sprawling into his lap but barely paid attention to the bump on the head this earned me, too busy replaying Master Ava’s words in my mind. A _war?!_

She nodded sadly at our shock. “The Master foresaw it.” She spread her hands helplessly, unable to meet our eyes. “The Unions are starting to divide, and eventually those who strive to protect the light will turn their weapons on their allies for the sake of loyalty to their own Unions.” Her shoulders slumped. “And because of it, this world will fall to darkness, and all will be lost.”

“No way!!” I protested. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Keyblade wielders, fighting Keyblade wielders?! “That’s awful!” There was no way the Unions would turn on each other like that… could they? The world wouldn’t fall to darkness from something like that… right? Uncertainty gripped my heart, and I glanced up at Brain, seeking reassurance.

He was frowning, grey eyes dark with a myriad of thoughts. “You make it sound like it’s inevitable,” Brain said slowly, picking his hat up and settling it in place so that the brim left his eyes in shadow.

“The Master foresaw it,” Ava repeated. Her eyes were still downcast as she plucked a flower from the grass before her.

Was there a war in the Book of Prophecies, then? If the Master of Masters had foretold it… Despite the sunshine, I shivered, pressing back against Brain. The warmth bleeding through his clothes was comforting, as was the arm Brain wrapped around me to pull me in closer. It wasn’t much, but I felt a bit better.

“In the Book of Prophecies?” Brain asked, echoing my thoughts.

Ava made a hum of agreement. “I hope with all my heart that it doesn’t come to pass,” she said fervently, “but now that I’ve seen that Nightmare… I must prepare.” She met Brain’s eyes, determination clear in the set of her mouth. “The Master gave each of us a role, for when he was gone. I was tasked to gather exceptional Keyblade wielders, regardless of their Union, who must survive for the world after.” She held out the flower in her hand to Brain; a puff of white and seeds. A dandelion.

Brain sat up straighter, latching on to the new information. He accepted the flower Master Ava offered him almost absentmindedly, too focused on Ava herself. “The world after? So the world won’t be destroyed?”

I perked up too, hopeful despite my growing apprehension. After all, if the Book of Prophecies foretold a war, and the destruction of the world, then that was that, no matter how much I might want it to be different. The Book of Prophecies wasn’t ever wrong. But maybe… maybe there was a mistranslation, somewhere.

Ava was already shaking her head before the question had even left Brain’s mouth. “Not exactly,” she replied. “This world, the one we live in, will cease to be. The wielders I gather – my Dandelions – must safeguard the light and carry it onwards, so that the world can be rebuilt afterwards.” I frowned in thought. Rebuild the world? That would definitely be a tough job! I realised I was staring at the dandelion that Brain held in his other hand. Such a fragile flower, one that broke apart and blew away at the first gust of wind; it didn’t seem an appropriate name for a group of people who had to rebuild a whole world. But then again, I thought, studying the flower as Brain twirled it absently – dandelions flew far, and thrived wherever they landed. Perhaps it was that will to live and grow, that Ava’s chosen had been named for.

Wait, but if Master Ava was telling all of this to us –

My eyes darted to Master Ava as she took a deep breath, reaching out to lightly touch Brain’s hand where it curled around the dandelion’s stem to get his attention. “So this is what I’m asking of you, Brain,” she said, drawing her hand back and meeting his eyes. “Will you join us?”

I barely managed to contain my surprised exclamation. Brain, a Dandelion?! Safeguarding the light, rebuilding the world… that would be so much effort, especially for Brain who loved to nap so much – but I knew if anyone was capable of doing such a thing, it would be Brain!

Plus… I knew it was selfish of me, but if the Dandelions would survive the war, then I wanted Brain to join. I didn’t want Brain to get caught up in a war that was all but inevitable; I didn’t want him to disappear. _I_ didn’t particularly want to disappear either, but there were plenty of other mes out there. There was only one Brain.

Still, this was Brain’s decision; I was his friend and his partner, but I couldn’t make it for him. He had to follow the guiding key of his heart to what he thought was the right decision, and no matter what he chose, I would support him. Because that was my job as his Chirithy, and more importantly, as his friend.

Brain stared down at the dandelion in his hand for long moments, measured by the pounding beat of my heart. I couldn’t see his face, but I could imagine the deep frown of thought, the way his eyes became a stormy grey when he was troubled. I pressed back against him, trying to silently impart comfort and support in equal measure, and despite being buried in his thoughts, Brain squeezed me gently back, a grateful acknowledgement.

With a quiet ‘hrm’, Brain reached up, pulling the brim of his hat down until it shadowed his face. I knew Brain well enough now that hiding behind his hat made no difference, and surely Master Ava was the same. This was doubt. “You said exceptional Keyblade wielders,” he eventually replied, his voice serious. “I don’t think I fit the bill, to be honest.”

Indignation flared up inside me. “Hey!” I protested, offended on his own behalf. I pushed Brain’s arm away, whirling around to glare up at him properly. “That’s not true, and you know it!”

I would have kept going – honestly, the nerve! – but Brain set a gentle hand on top of my head. He didn’t say anything, but I subsided, crossing my arms in a huff and muttering angrily under my breath instead. Fingers scratched through my fur in silent apology, or maybe it was thanks; I didn’t know. My muttering died down, in any case.

“My talents don’t lie that way,” Brain reminded me, smiling lopsidedly. “I’m okay, but I’m not strong.” His face became serious as he focused his attention on Master Ava, but I knew his words were meant for me as well. “I don’t know if I could do what you’re asking of me, and I don’t make promises I can’t keep.”

“I know,” Ava replied, leaning forward. “But, Brain – battle strength isn’t everything, especially when it comes to protecting the light. You’re incredibly talented at the things you’ve chosen to specialise in – your magic, your synthesis – and you’re one of the most intelligent people I know.” She started to list off on her fingers. “Your curiosity to seek out questions and find answers to them. Your desire to help people where you can. Your calmness and ability to think things through. Your kindness. These are all qualities that will be sorely needed in the world after. I _want_ the next world to have these qualities.” Brain was staring at her now, wide-eyed and lips parted in shock. I watched with amusement at the flush rising rapidly across his cheeks. I guess Brain still wasn’t used to getting so much praise all at once – especially from someone who wasn’t me.

Ava smiled and spread her hands. “I could keep going,” she said, clearly taking pity on her embarrassed friend – though I kinda wished she would keep going, as Brain deserved to hear more compliments than just what I could give him. “But there’s something even more important that makes you an ideal choice. I want the world to come to be filled with light, so only wielders with a strong resistance to darkness are chosen as Dandelions. That’s you, Brain.” She smiled warmly. “Your heart – it’s filled with light.”

Brain gripped the edge of his hat, like he was contemplating hiding behind it. Considering that his cheeks and ears were practically glowing red, I couldn’t say I blamed him. Poor Brain, I don’t think he’d been completely blindsided like this since I’d declared us friends. But Master Ava had said nothing but the truth, and I wanted Brain to understand that. 

I reached up to touch his arm gently. “She’s right, you know,” I told him quietly. “I can feel the strength of your heart here, in our bond.” I put a paw to my chest, feeling the way our connection glowed bright and warm.

Brain touched his chest lightly, fingers grazing over his heart. “…Oh,” was all he said, voice strangled, and promptly yanked his hat down far enough that it hid his blushing face even from me. I patted his arm gently. Sometimes it was hard to hear kind things about yourself, especially from people you cared about.

Quiet settled over the hilltop. Ava tilted her face towards the sky, thoughtful enough to give Brain a moment to compose himself. I plopped down into Brain’s lap, pressing my back against his stomach in silent reassurance and support. Brain’s free arm wrapped around me immediately, pulling me into a one-armed hug. Resting my paws on his arm, I tipped my head back to try and see Brain’s face under the brim of his hat, a little worried despite myself. His cheeks were still kinda red even in the shadow of his hat, but that didn’t stop his mouth curling up into a lopsided smile when he met my searching gaze. I breathed a quiet sigh of relief; we hadn’t made him too uncomfortable then.

Composure mostly recovered, Brain pushed his hat back to its regular angle with a sigh. Despite the faint pink still staining his cheeks, his expression was one of deep concentration as he studied the dandelion flower in his hands. I could almost see the gears whirling in his mind, turning over all the information Ava had given us.

“So, Dandelions, huh?” he said eventually, voice betraying none of his thoughts. He glanced up at Master Ava.

“Yes,” Ava confirmed with a nod. “My Dandelions are the seeds of hope, and it is a difficult task I must ask of them,” she continued gravely. “When the time comes, and there is war, they mustn’t fight but instead fly away from here to the world beyond.” Her shoulders drooped slightly, Foreteller professionalism giving way in this conversation between friends. “The others… will have no choice but to fight.”

“I see…” Brain looked away, back down at the dandelion in his hand. It was hard to tell what he was thinking, but I knew that for Brain, who made looking after his companions a priority, the idea of having to leave people behind would have to be a hard one to consider.

Ava sighed. “I wish it were not so,” she said quietly. “It’s not their fault that darkness has found its way here. They trusted us, and they trusted their Chirithies, as they’d been told to do, and someone took advantage of that.” She clasped her hands together in her lap and studied them, her mouth a sad line. My ears drooped; if only there was some way to undo the work of that fake Chirithy!

The arm around my middle squeezed gently for a moment, a silent hug.

“I will admit, part of this is a selfish request,” Ava admitted into the gloomy silence that had fallen. Brain’s attention snapped to the pink figure beside him, gaze sharp. “You’re my friend, and I want you to survive the coming war.” She looked up from her clasped hands, meeting Brain’s eyes. “But I also know in my heart that you are a good choice as a Dandelion.” She spoke earnestly, straightening in determination.

A few moments of silence as this declaration sank in, and then Brain blew out a long breath. “Well… when you put it all like that, how exactly am I meant to say no?” he grumbled, though without any real heat in his words. He pushed his hat back, rubbing at his forehead with a hand.

Ava smiled, a quiet smile of understanding. “You don’t need to answer now. The choice is yours; you are free to refuse. You must let your heart be your guiding key.” She touched a hand to her heart. “All I ask is that you keep the knowledge of the coming war to yourself, to avoid causing panic.”

I shivered. There would be chaos if everyone in the town became aware of a war looming on the horizon… I wondered how many of the other Chirithies were aware of the Master of Masters’ foretelling; surely Ava had approached other pairs by now… though it wasn’t like I could go and ask any of them, now that I thought about it. What if the war that the Master saw started because everyone heard there was going to be a war and started fighting about it and… ahhhh now my head hurt from trying to think it over! How did Brain put up with this all the time?!

“Yeah, I understand…” Brain’s voice trailed off as a deep crease appeared between his brows, eyes a stormy grey, clearly thinking furiously.

Ava nodded. “I’ll leave you to think about it,” she said, getting to her feet and brushing grass from her robes. As she turned to leave, she touched Brain’s shoulder lightly. “Take care, Brain.” She smiled down at me. “Chirithy, you keep looking after him, okay?”

“Of course!” I replied, puffing my chest out. Like I’d do anything else!

Her smile grew a little wider. “Thank you.” With that, Ava turned to go. My ears twitched anxiously as she walked away, my mind still reeling with all the information we had been given. A war? I didn’t want to be in a war. I put a hand against my heart, feeling the warm glow of my connection with Brain jangle with our shared worries. I didn’t want Brain to be in a war either… or even Master Ava, or any of the wielders who came to trade things with Brain. My shoulders drooped. Daybreak Town was my home, and I didn’t want to see it broken.

But it was foretold…

With a soft noise, Brain shifted beneath me, startling me out of my thoughts. Without any warning, I was picked up and set carefully on the grass. “Brain…?” I asked in surprise as he surged to his feet, the dandelion flower still clutched in his hand.

“Master Ava!” he called after her retreating form. He paused, and that warm glow inside me settled into the calm focus it always carried. No room for doubts. “…Ava.”

Across the hill, Ava turned around. Brain drew himself up, shoulders set in determination. “I don’t need more time to consider," he announced. “I’ll give you my answer now.”

Ehhhhhh?!

“Brain, are you sure…?” I asked doubtfully. That was a really big decision to make in such a short time! Brain glanced down at me with a small smile of reassurance. I didn’t really feel reassured, but it seemed like Brain knew what he wanted to do, at least.

“Yeah,” he told me. Brain looked back towards Ava, who had come closer to hear his words. “I have no intention of fighting a war with other Unions,” he said plainly. “If you want to preserve the light, then I want to help you do that.” He held out the flower in his hand. “And if that means becoming a Dandelion, then you can count me in.” Brain glanced down at me again. “Count _us_ in,” he amended, grinning at me. “Right, partner?”

“Yeah!” I cheered.

Brain looked back to Ava. “There you have it, then.”

Ava grinned in reply. She stood a little straighter, like the relief of hearing Brain’s reply had lifted a weight from her shoulders. Had she been worried that he would say no? “I’m glad to hear it,” she said warmly, gliding back over the grassy hilltop to stand before us both. She reached out, her hands clasping Brain’s around the dandelion stem. “Welcome to the Dandelions.”

I whooped happily, springing up onto Brain’s shoulder. In my enthusiasm, I overbalanced and ended up kinda flopping over his shoulder instead, but that was good enough for my purposes. I grabbed hold of Brain’s coat to keep from falling off again. Brain snickered at my ungainliness, which developed into a full-blown chuckle when I tried and failed to swipe at his face in retaliation. Even Master Ava started giggling.

Okay, so it wasn’t the most dignified of landings, but hey! I was allowed to be excited! It wasn’t every day you got to join a secret group with a secret mission! I sighed and dropped my head to Brain’s shoulder, resigned to my fate.

Ava released Brain’s hand, still giggling every now and then under her breath. Brain blinked, like he’d forgotten Master Ava had even been holding it. He twirled the dandelion flower between his fingers, shoving his other hand into his pocket. “I do have a few questions though,” he admitted, tilting his head to the side to contemplate Master Ava. On his shoulder, I perked up. Of course Brain had questions.

Ava grinned. “Of course,” she said, unknowingly echoing my thoughts. “I expected nothing less. What did you want to know? There are some things I can’t answer, however.”

“That’s fine,” Brain replied. He chewed on his lip for a moment, like he was debating which question should get priority. Eventually, he asked, “How long do we have before the war that the Master of Masters foresaw begins?”

Ava sighed. “I don’t know,” she confessed unhappily. “The Book of Prophecies only confirms that it _will_ happen, but not when. It could be weeks, months, years…”

“Let’s hope years, then,” Brain muttered, although he didn’t sound very convinced by his own words. I nodded in silent agreement. “So, about this new world that we’re meant to be rebuilding…” he continued. “If this world is going to cease to exist, and the Dandelions are meant to somehow escape that fate, where exactly are we supposed to go? Are there two worlds, then?”

“In a way, yes,” Ava replied. “The world that we live in now… ‘cease to exist’ is a harsh way of putting it, I suppose. ‘ _On that fated land, a great war shall transpire. Darkness will prevail, and the light expire’_ ,” she quoted. At Brain’s confused expression, she elaborated, “It’s the last line of the Book of Prophecies. This world will fall to darkness, and everything will be lost – even the light itself. But it _is_ this world that the Dandelions will rebuild, collecting the light that is needed to pull it back from the dark.” Ava held out her hands, palms together. “You’re right, however – this isn’t a task that can be done from this world. I will explain it more later but… the Dandelions will escape to a world that reflects this one, a world that will feel like a dream.” She pulled her hands apart, holding them both palm-up. “You will gather Lux there – much like we do now – and when the time comes, return to this world and use that Lux to rebuild it.” Ava brought her hands together once more and looked up at Brain. “Does that make sense?”

“Mostly, though now I have more questions,” Brain admitted with a wry smile. “They can wait, though.” He frowned, thinking aloud. “Gathering Lux again… given that’s probably a factor in the coming war, is that why you need people who can resist darkness? So we don’t risk repeating the same war?”

Ava nodded. “Are you sure you’re not secretly a Foreteller?” she teased.

Brain snorted, shaking his head. “No thanks, definitely not. I’m not the kind of guy you put in charge of things.” Ava’s mouth twitched, like she was about to smile, but she made no reply other than a non-committal hum. “How many other Dandelions are there, anyway?”

“At the moment?” Ava asked. She tilted her head to the side and I once again got the feeling she was trying not to laugh. “You.”

I almost fell off Brain’s shoulder in shock. Brain’s eyebrows rose so high they disappeared beneath his hat. “Me?” he asked incredulously. “Just me?”

Her smile finally broke free and Ava hid a giggle with a hand. “For now,” she allowed. “There’s a few others that I intend to approach soon as well. After that, I’ll just have to keep my eyes open for suitable candidates.” She smiled up at our startled faces. “So, if you have any recommendations, let me know!” Ava’s smile became softer, losing its teasing edge. “Don’t worry, you won’t be alone.”

That was good. Brain had always worked on his own. It was good to hear that there would be others there to help him. Rebuilding a world would be a lot for just one person to take on! My paws tightened on Brain's coat. Not to mention lonely…

Well, no matter what, I was here with him at least.

Brain rubbed at the back of his neck. “Ah, geez…” he muttered. He shifted his hand to his chin, already deep in thought. “How many people do you even need to rebuild a world?” he mused. “That’s an awfully big task… where would you even start?”

“You’re just gonna have to work reeeeeally hard,” I told him loftily.

Brain grimaced, shooting me a flat look. “Ugh,” he complained. I patted the side of his face with mock sympathy, the only place I could reach. The flat look grew flatter, if that was possible.

Ava laughed. “Don’t worry,” she reassured both of us. “I’ll be teaching all of the Dandelions the things that you’ll need to prepare for this task.” An impish grin spread across her face. “There will be training.”

Brain groaned. “More training!”

“Don’t be so lazy!” I scolded, poking at him. He defended himself with a hand.

A giggle drew our attention; Ava was laughing at us both. “Changing your mind already?” she asked with a grin. Her shoulders had tensed a little bit, though.

“Nope.” Brain’s answer was prompt, his face serious. “I’ve already decided.” He grinned suddenly. “Looks like I’m seeing this one all the way through.”

All the tension was gone from Ava’s slight frame. “Good,” she said, beaming. “For now, though, I just need you to keep being you.”

Brain’s grin widened. “Guess I can manage that much.”

Ava’s smile matched his for a few moments before she ducked her head. “I’ll let you know when the Dandelions are to meet for training,” she said, turning to go. “Though hopefully, we’ll be able to talk again before that, if I’m not too busy.”

“I’d like that,” Brain said, his smile turning softer. It was my turn to side-eye him. _Oh boy._

“He has a lot of books to give you,” I added blithely. Surely it was my job as their book club mascot to encourage that, right?

“Shush, you,” Brain retorted, pushing gently at the side of my face. I sniffed. See if I tried to help next time! Though, the very faint pink tinging the tips of his ears was acceptable compensation for my efforts.

“Well, I look forward to reading them then,” Ava laughed. She started to walk away.

She hadn’t gone far before Brain took a step after her. “Ava…” he asked, voice quiet. “What about you?”

All of us understood what he was actually asking, of course. _What will happen to you when the world ends? Where will you be?_

Ava stopped, but she didn’t turn around. “I will guide you all as far as I can until the time comes.” She glanced over her shoulder at us, her smile small and crooked. “But the world after, I must entrust to you and the rest of the Dandelions. You are our hope.”

My ears drooped. That didn’t sound promising at all. Was Ava not going to come with the Dandelions to the new world?

Brain’s hat hid his eyes. “I see.”

Ava seemed to expect this response, merely nodding with that same small, sad smile, before continuing on her way down from the hilltop. Brain didn’t call her back this time. I suppose he had a lot to think about.

Brain stood there in silence for a long time after she had gone, staring across the hill but not really seeing it, his eyebrows furrowed. I waited quietly, knowing that Brain would tell me his thoughts eventually. Still, though, as the silence wore on, I couldn’t help tentatively tapping his shoulder with a paw. They must have been pretty deep thoughts! “You’re awfully quiet,” I observed. “Whatcha thinking about?”

The silence stretched on for a few moments more until Brain sighed, the sound of it loud in the hush of the hilltop. Grey eyes glanced towards me, then away. “A lot of things,” he admitted. “Need to put them together a bit more before I can talk about them though. Sorry.”

“It’s okay, take your time,” I told him reassuringly. “I’ll be here.”

That startled a huff of laughter out of him and he flashed a smile at me. “Thanks, Chirithy.” He looked down at the dandelion flower still held gently in his hand. The delicate white puff was a perfect sphere, waiting to carry away the seeds in a gust of wind. A new world, I mused. Where would the winds of fate blow Ava’s Dandelions?

“’Seeds of hope’, huh…?” Brain murmured. He turned away from the place where Ava had disappeared, towards Daybreak Town. The sky was clear and sunny, and the town below almost glowed in the light. In the distance, the clocktower rose high above the rest of the town, ever-swinging pendulum keeping time. “Hey, Chirithy,” he said suddenly, “did you know that if you blow all the seeds of a dandelion with a single breath, then the wish you make will come true?”

“Really?” I asked in surprise. I peered at the flower in his hand with renewed interest. This was news to me! Not that I really knew a lot about flowers, though…

“Mm,” Brain agreed. He rolled the dandelion’s stem between his fingers for a few moments, a contemplative look on his face. “Well, can’t hurt,” he shrugged, and raised the dandelion to blow the seeds away. A cloud of white fluff billowed up, carrying the dandelion seeds away from us. Together, Brain and I watched them float away on the gentle breeze.

I caught sight of the bare stalk in his hand. “Oh, you did it!” I exclaimed. “So your wish will come true, right? What did you wish for?”

Brain grinned. “It’s a secret,” he replied, winking at me.

I huffed, making my best unimpressed face at him. “You’re no fun.”

He laughed. Despite my grumblings, it was good to hear Brain’s laughter after such a heavy conversation with Master Ava. I’d have to make extra sure that his spirits stayed up in the coming months. Thoughts of a war would get anyone down… even me.

For now though, the sun was warm above us, and we were still here. The rest we would have to deal with as it came.

“What do we do now? Did you wanna keep napping?” I asked, looking up at Brain.

He was staring off towards Daybreak Town – or rather, I think, the dandelion seeds drifting over it. Then Brain shook his head slightly, turning away. “Who could sleep after all that?” he asked, shoving his hands in his pockets, and started to stroll towards the path back to town. “Let’s go get lunch.”

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Brain didn’t say another word as we walked back down the hill, just frowned at the ground, deep in whatever thoughts were troubling him. We wandered back into town, ending up at a café a few streets away from the markets that we sometimes came to eat at when Brain didn’t feel like cooking.

I stayed silent too, not wanting to disturb Brain’s thinking. Instead, I watched people as they walked by our table, going about their day without any idea that someday in the future, a war would be upon us. My own depressing thoughts consumed me. How could this happen to Daybreak Town, my home, a place of such light? Was it better to not know, like the people I watched? My stomach felt all twisted and heavy when I thought about what Ava had told us, and yet, what could I do? A war was inevitable, and some of those people walking past us… they wouldn’t survive the world’s fall into darkness. How many people would live to see the world rebuilt? My eyes followed a Keyblade wielder hurrying past our table, a girl dressed in white with orange hair, and then a dark-haired boy going in the opposite direction. Would they survive? I sighed deeply, trying to let my worries stream out of me. Despite what I had heard, the sun was still shining overhead, and I was here having lunch with Brain. I should do my best to enjoy it… at least while it lasted.

I sighed again.

Shaking my head to clear it of morbid thoughts, I missed the way Brain’s eyes flicked towards me. Luckily, the arrival of a server with our food was enough to distract me from my wallowing. The slice of cake they set in front of me looked amazingly decadent. I knew Brain must have chosen it to try and cheer me up, but all of a sudden I wasn’t feeling very hungry anymore.

Brain nodded his own thanks to the server as they placed his food before him. He waited until they had gone before asking quietly, “You okay?”

I gave a start – I’d just been staring at the slice of cake, zoning out – and looked up to find Brain studying me with those grey eyes of his, concern in the lines of his face. I looked down again, not wanting Brain to be able to figure out my thoughts. He had enough worries on his plate without me adding mine into the mix! Still, Brain was pretty observant, and I knew I wasn’t fooling him.

“I should be asking you that,” I replied, trying for a light tone. It wasn’t very convincing, even to my ears, so it was no surprise when Brain said nothing, waiting patiently for me to continue. I sighed. We were a team, right? If I wanted Brain to share his worries honestly with me, then maybe it was only right that I should do the same. “It’s just weird,” I admitted. “Looking at all this,” I waved a paw at Daybreak Town around us, “and knowing there’s gonna be a war… it’s scary, actually.”

“Yeah…” Brain agreed. He stared off into space, eyes distant. Although his fork was in his hand, he made no move to eat and I wondered if Brain wasn’t really feeling hungry either.

“Are _you_ okay?” I asked, worried for my partner. “That was a whole lot to get dumped on us at once.”

Brain sighed, returning his attention to the present. “Tell me about it,” he grumbled. He toyed with his fork, debating his words. His eyes were dark. “I’m not really a fighter, and like I said before, I have no intention of fighting a war with other Unions,” he stated, and I nodded. “We’re already in a war against darkness anyway, that’s what accepting the Keyblade means. I just didn’t think that ‘war’ might end up quite so literal.” He was silent for a few moments, mouth pressed into an unhappy line. “…I don’t want there to be a war.”

The confession was quiet, a subdued tone of voice that I rarely heard from my partner. My heart ached. “Me neither,” I confessed, shoulders slumping. “But if the Book of Prophecies says there will be…”

Brain straightened in his seat, curiosity sparking through the gloom that had settled over us. “I meant to ask you about that,” he said, pointing his fork at me. “The Book of Prophecies – it really predicts the future? How does that work?” He shovelled some food into his mouth and looked at me expectantly. Apparently, the thought of new information had brought back his appetite.

It made me a little more cheerful, in return. No matter how much the world changed, some things would always stay the same. I tilted my head, putting a paw to my chin as I thought over what I knew. I wasn’t an expert on the Book of Prophecies by any means – that was only for the Master and his Foretellers – but all us Chirithies had been born with a basic set of knowledge about it. I didn’t know how much of that information I was allowed to tell anyone… but it wasn’t like I’d read it, so I couldn’t give away the future anyway… so maybe it would be fine? If anyone would use the knowledge wisely, it would be Brain.

“Well,” I began slowly, wondering how to start, “you know the Master of Masters wrote it, right?” Brain nodded. “He made a Keyblade that can see the future –”

“He made a Keyblade that can see the future?” Brain interrupted, looking fascinated. Well, it _was_ pretty cool, and I guess right up Brain’s alley with all of his synthesis work.

“Yeah,” I replied. “I heard he used his own eye to make it.” The thought of that made me a little queasy. It was _gross_! Brain had better not ever try anything like that!

Brain stopped chewing for a moment at that revelation, brows drawing together. He swallowed. The faintly perturbed look on his face reassured me, but “Interesting choice,” was all he said, waving for me to continue.

I shrugged. “Well, that’s it, really. He made a Keyblade that can see the future and used it to write the Book of Prophecies.”

Brain contemplated this. “So what’s written in the Book, it’s what he saw?” he asked, absently drumming his fingers on the table.

I nodded. “Yeah, as far as I know.” All this talking was starting to make my appetite return, so I poked my slice of cake with my fork. It sank through at least an inch of cream and frosting, exactly the way I liked it… not that I had a sweet tooth!

“Hrm,” Brain mused to himself, taking another bite of his food. “Could be room for error then? Although I don’t know how you misinterpret seeing a war. Still, Ava’s read the Book of Prophecies and she seemed sure it would happen…” He looked at me. “What do you think?”

My fork clattered to the table in my surprise at being addressed. I had thought Brain was just talking to himself the way he did when he was working on his synthesis projects. “Me?!” I spluttered.

“Yeah,” Brain said, setting his fork down. He reached across and retrieved mine, handing it back to me. I accepted it, my ears twitching with embarrassment. “I know I accepted Ava’s offer to become a Dandelion for both of us,” he continued, “but you get a say in this too, y’know.”

“O-oh…” I really shouldn’t have been surprised by this kind of thing anymore, but that was just the type of person Brain was. I had been created to be a supportive companion, a mentor and guide if needed… but Brain treated me like an equal, like my opinion mattered. It was a novel feeling. Brain was still waiting patiently for me to answer, though, so I tried to marshal my scattered thoughts. “Well… I haven’t read the Book of Prophecies, but… I mean it _is_ the Book of Prophecies… so it can’t really be a prophecy if it’s wrong, right?” I paused; something about that didn’t make sense. “Wait –”

Brain laughed as I flailed a bit over my poor wording. “Well, you have a point.”

Despite my embarrassment, Brain’s laughter lightened the heavy feeling that had been weighing me down since our conversation with Ava on the hilltop. I huffed, taking a huge bite of cake in protest. Brain continued to snicker, but it was good-natured, and he leaned over to scratch behind my ears, so I graciously decided to forgive him. I swallowed my mouthful of cake and looked at him seriously. “Either way, though… I’m here to support you,” I told him. Brain was my partner and my friend; of course I would support him. “I believe in your choices, so you don’t have to waste time asking me what I think.”

Brain narrowed his eyes. I was reminded of a sunset, watched from a hilltop, and the words that had been said. “It’s not a waste of time,” he retorted, frowning a little bit. “And that’s not really being a team, either.”

Oh dear, he’d misunderstood me. “Course it is!” I said brightly. This time, I wasn’t talking down on myself. “Believing in your partner is part of being a team! Your heart is your guiding key, and I trust where you’ll guide us.” I finished my declaration with a mouthful of cake. He didn’t need to wait on my opinion to make decisions, because I trusted him to make the right ones anyway. “If it makes you feel better though, I promise to tell you if I think your idea is bad.”

Brain’s shoulders relaxed. It seemed like he’d gotten my message. “You’ve always done that,” he pointed out dryly.

“Exactly!” I chirped.

He huffed a laugh and leaned on the table, taking a bite of his food. “Well, in that case, it’s probably best to act as though we have the correct interpretation, and plan accordingly.”

I nodded. “’Hope for the best, plan for the worst’, as they say.”

Brain sighed. “And this is gonna need a lot of planning.” He made a disgruntled sound and kept eating.

“Well, it’s not like we have to plan it ourselves, you know,” I pointed out. Brain might be the only Dandelion for now, but that would soon change. “Master Ava will take care of that. Our job is to support her.”

“Ava,” Brain corrected absently. “I wonder what our training is gonna involve…” He trailed off for a few moments, then snorted. “Well, given that none of us know how to rebuild an entire world, I’m guessing the answer is just ‘a lot’.”

I had been wondering the same thing myself. How was Ava – I guess this counted as between us? – going to train all the Dandelions? And do so without drawing suspicion from anyone who was not a Dandelion? For all the talk of tensions between the Unions that would lead to a war, I had my doubts that creating a secret Union would avoid those tensions. Would other wielders see them as Dandelions, or as their Unions? It was too early to tell, but I would have to keep an eye out. “It’s not just rebuilding a world though,” I pointed out. “It sounds like the plan is for us to jump to a dream world, and those places can be… kinda weird. Not all the rules are the same as here, you know.”

Brain looked thoughtful, that gleam of curiosity alive once more in his grey eyes. “A dream world, huh…?” he mused, thumbing at his earring. “I’ve read about those somewhere, but I didn’t take much notice of it at the time… I’ll have to go through my books again.” I groaned quietly, thinking of the piles of books covering the floor of Brain’s apartment. That would be so _boring_! “What? I’m not asking _you_ to read them,” Brain said with a grin, knocking me gently on the forehead with a knuckle.

“Hey!” I protested, rubbing my forehead. “It’s still boring to sit there and _watch_ , you know.” Of course, there was a chance I could weasel my way into Brain’s lap and potentially get head rubs for an entire afternoon, which was a plus, but that also came with the risk of being used as a bookrest, which was not.

“Oh no, my apologies,” Brain drawled, his grin widening into a smirk when I tried to swat at him. Ignoring my grumbling, he propped his chin up on a hand and tilted his head. “Or you could just tell me about dream worlds yourself,” he suggested. “That’d be more interesting, right?”

“Huh??”

“You said they could be ‘kinda weird’, which implies you at least know about them,” he explained.

I had said that, hadn’t I? Well, I guess it wasn’t really a secret, we just didn’t talk about it much. Plus, if Brain was gonna have to deal with a Sleeping world, he’d need all the information he could get. “Of course I know about them!” I replied, puffing my chest out proudly. “I’m a Dream Eater, after all!”

“A Dream Eater?” Brain repeated, his brows scrunching together. “I thought you were a Spirit?”

Oh yeah, I’d said something like that too aaaaages ago, hadn’t I? “Same thing, silly! Spirits _are_ Dream Eaters! Well, the good ones, anyway.”

“Huh,” Brain said, considering this. “Guess that’s why the others are called Nightmares then?”

I deflated at the reminder of the corrupted Chirithy. They were still out there somewhere, causing trouble. “O-oh… yeah…”

A hand settled on my head, warm and scratching lightly through my fur. Comfort, or an apology maybe; it didn’t matter which. I closed my eyes, enjoying the moment. “So, Dream Eaters have to do with dream worlds?” Brain asked, moving the conversation along. I opened my eyes to a look of apology on his face.

I rallied. I couldn’t do anything about the Nightmare Chirithy, but I could answer Brain’s questions, at least! “Yeah! Well, sort of. Spirits like us Chirithies, we can pass back and forth between this world and dream worlds easily! It’s sorta how we get around most of the time too.”

Brain blinked. “You mean the–?”

He mimed the poof and the flip that was part of my teleporting act, and I couldn’t help but snicker loudly at the sight. “Yeah, that. Dream worlds are more suited to beings like us, so we can move around more easily there!” It was simple enough for me to slip between reality and dreams, but explaining how I did it was a bit beyond me. It was just something I could do, the way Brain was good at untangling problems with a glance. “For anyone else, though, it works a bit differently. With the Keyblade, you can get there too, but it takes a few extra steps, and you don’t get the extra perks.”

“Surely there’s _some_ perks?” Brain protested. “Otherwise what’s the point?”

I chewed my mouthful of cake, contemplating this. “Well, that’s true,” I said, swallowing. “Dream worlds – sleeping worlds – they’re the dreams of _our_ world, brought into being. Time works differently there, so you don’t want to dive too deep… but it can be useful. Like if you wanted to…”

Brain listened with a fascinated look on his face as I lectured on what I knew about dream worlds. He even forgot to eat, he was so caught up! Guess I managed to explain it well enough, then.

“Huh, interesting,” Brain said when I was finished. “Thanks, Chirithy.” He seemed to remember that his lunch was sitting there getting cold, and took a bite, looking thoughtful. “I think I understand now what Ava’s trying to do,” he said after a few mouthfuls. His expression became wry. “Not that I’ll know for sure until the Dandelions gather.”

“That should be soon, right? If there’s gonna be training,” I replied, humming quietly at another mouthful of delicious icing. Brain made a face at the reminder. “Hey, you were doing really well with your training so far! Don’t look so glum!” Even though it was the truth – he’d really improved by leaps and bounds, even if he grumbled about it all the time – this didn’t seem to encourage him. I searched for something to raise his spirits. _Oh yeah, that might work!_ “Think of it this way,” I said brightly. “At least you’ll get to see Ava a lot more!”

I snickered inwardly at the way he perked up at that thought. “Yeah,” he agreed, a soft smile appearing, “that’ll be –” He broke off with a sharp look in my direction. Hrm, maybe I was being too obvious. I patted his arm.

“You missed her. You’re allowed to miss your friend, you know,” I told him, sincere despite my teasing.

“Hrm,” he said, which wasn’t any kind of reply at all. Geez, it’s hard to tease someone when they don’t give you anything to work with! I ate my cake with the most innocent expression I could muster. He narrowed his eyes at me, clearly not buying it, but thankfully returned to his meal.

My thoughts turned to Master Ava. She was the leader of the Dandelions – the person in charge of training us, of preparing the way for us, of deciding who would be chosen for the role… in other words, the one who had to decide who would survive into the new world and who would be lost. What a heavy burden for one person to carry! My heart ached at the idea. “It must be hard for her, to pick who to recruit.”

Even though my words were out of the blue, Brain understood me. “Yeah. She cares a lot.” His gaze slipped past me, going distant as he stared off towards the clocktower once more. I found my eyes following another Keyblade wielder as they hurried past.

Dream worlds, the Book of Prophecies… we’d been circling around what Master Ava had told us, but we were finally starting to drift closer to the parts that really worried me. Not so much for myself, but because looking after Brain was my responsibility and I hadn’t been kidding about it being a lot to take in at once. I wanted to know what Brain was thinking. Hopefully, he’d put his thoughts together enough by now to tell me.

I set my fork down. “Hey…” My solemn tone was enough to grab Brain’s attention and he focused on me; his eyes gone storm-grey. “I know you’ve made your mind up already but… are you really okay with leaving this world behind?” _And all the people in it?_ was left unsaid, but not unheard. His decision all those months ago to take on a support role may had been self-assigned, but he’d always done his best to stick by it and help everyone. But now… we both knew that no matter how many people Ava recruited into the Dandelions, the truth was that a large number of people would still be left behind. And as much as I didn’t want everyone to disappear, it was only Brain who was in my care, and as such, the only one I had to look after. It might be callous of me to think this way, but there were many Chirithies, and all of us had our own person to focus on. Brain, though… as much as he didn’t have close friends, he cared about everyone, and that made me worry.

Brain exhaled heavily, his gaze flicking away. One hand lifted towards his hat, as though he was intending to tip the brim forward and shield himself, but it stopped halfway. With another sigh, Brain let his hand drop and dragged his gaze back to me. “Truthfully?” he asked, sounding tired. “No. But I understand the reasoning behind it, I guess.” He drummed his fingers against the table, frowning at the tablecloth. “If darkness is what will cause this world to fall, we have to do our best not to carry it to a new world. If you use flawed components to synthesise things, you end up with a flawed final product.” Brain sighed. “Not that synthesis is a particularly good analogy, because people are way more complicated.” He looked up at me again and smiled crookedly. “I might not be able to help everyone, but at least this way I can help save a few.”

“Is that why you accepted Ava’s offer so fast?” I asked curiously. “It’s not like you to make such a snap decision.” It was true; Brain usually liked to think things over for a while, to make sure he’d covered it from every angle. That was why I had been so surprised at him deciding on the spot… but maybe, this time, he had just let his heart guide him.

Brain conceded the point with a rueful nod. “Well, it’s part of it, at least…” He tilted his head, looking thoughtful. “I never did tell you why I joined Vulpes, did I? I know it seems like an odd choice, considering that some of the other Unions would probably be more suited to me.”

_Geez, why did you even join a Union if you aren’t gonna do anything?_

I remembered my irritated question, back before I understood Brain’s way of thinking. But I knew better now, and honestly, in my opinion Vulpes _did_ suit Brain the best, no matter how he thought otherwise. All the Unions may have had the same goals, but each of the Foretellers valued different ideals, or so I had heard from other Chirithies. Master Aced valued strength; Master Ira, commitment; Master Gula and Master Invi, cunning and mediation in turn. But Master Ava, _Ava_ , had always valued kindness. Brain might have done well in any of the other Unions – well, maybe not Ursus – but in Vulpes he could flourish.

What was it that Brain had replied that night? “You said it was a thank you to someone…?” I said slowly, crossing my arms as I tried to remember.

Brain smiled. “Yeah. To Ava, actually.”

“Really?” I straightened in interest, cake forgotten. I’d met Brain after he’d already gained the Keyblade, rather than at the time, like most of us did nowadays. Had he known Ava before he joined a Union, then? Ava was friendly to all her Union members, but thinking back on that first meeting with Brain, they had acted like they were already good friends.

“Yeah,” Brain confirmed, smiling fondly at the memory. “I’d been taking a nap –”

“Of course you were,” I muttered.

“I’d been taking a nap,” Brain repeated in a slightly louder voice, determinedly ignoring me, “over in that courtyard by the river – you know the one?” I nodded, and he continued, “It’s not the best spot to sleep in but I’d been up late reading the night before –”

I couldn’t help myself. “What else is new?” I snickered. A balled-up napkin bonked against my forehead, right between the eyes. Hey!

“Stop interrupting,” Brain demanded, frowning at me. I huffed, crossing my arms, but fell silent. Teasing aside, I really did wanna hear the rest of the story. Apparently satisfied, Brain picked up the thread of his tale. “Anyway, I got woken up when a bunch of Heartless jumped out of the river. This was long before the Keyblade chose me, by the way, so I had nothing but my wits to fight with at the time.”

“You didn’t try to run?” I asked. I couldn’t imagine a Brain unable to summon a Keyblade, let alone fight without one. Still, even running could be dangerous depending on what Heartless you encountered. Some of them were _fast_.

“Have you ever seen me move fast after I’ve just woken up?” Brain asked dryly, and I snorted. Fair enough. “So there I was, trying to figure out how I was gonna get out of there, when Ava showed up and fought them all off. I was kinda worried – there were a lot of them – but she is a Foreteller, after all.” He grinned widely. “She’s pretty strong. Anyway, she saved me, so when I learnt to summon a Keyblade I decided to join her Union to say thanks. Help other people the way she helped me.” His grin turned wry. “Though as you know, I guess my method’s a bit different.”

“Everyone’s got their own pace, it’s the helping part that matters,” I said sagely. Maybe it wasn’t the same way as Ava’s, but Brain really had been doing his best to help everyone around him… and now, as a Dandelion, he would be able to keep doing it.

It seemed like Brain really had known Ava before he’d learnt how to summon the Keyblade. I’d never really tried to imagine what Brain must have been like before I’d met him. It still felt odd to picture a younger Brain, unable to use the Keyblade. Had he always been into synthesis and spells, or was that something new he’d picked up? Suddenly, I really wanted to ask. Now wasn’t the right time, though, and besides, thinking about a Brain without _me_ made my stomach twist uneasily.

I shook off my vague unease, turning my thoughts to the story Brain had told me. Whether it was simply a thank you or repayment of a debt, if Brain’s goal was to live up to Ava’s legacy then he’d already been doing a very good job. Something the old me wouldn’t have expected upon meeting a boy lazing in the sun on a grassy hilltop… Ava must have really inspired him, huh. “Guess I understand now why you like Ava so much,” I mused to myself.

“What,” Brain said blankly.

Oh whoops, I’d said that out loud… Ah well, I’d said it now. “Am I wrong?” I asked slyly.

“Shush, you,” Brain retorted, reaching across the table to shove his hat in my face. I squawked in surprise, arms flailing. By the time I had recovered, I pushed Brain’s hat up out of my face only to find that the rest of my cake had been stolen in revenge. “Hey!”

“Serves you right, it’s mine now,” Brain told me, scooping up a chunk of cake with his fork. Without his hat, I could see the tips of his ears had turned red. He made a face as he chewed. “Ugh, too much sugar.”

“You just have no taste,” I huffed, crossing my arms. Brain deliberately took another bite. I wilted, looking mournfully at my cake. I’d been looking forward to finishing the rest of it, too…

Brain sighed, pushing the plate back towards me. “Here.”

Hah! Victory! I kept his hat, though.

“None of us have time for anything like that right now, anyway,” Brain said, levelling me with a pointed look as I triumphantly shovelled a mouthful of cake. I shrugged; I knew that, but it was just fun to tease Brain. “In any case,” he continued, apparently giving up as he rested his chin on one hand, “I trust Ava, and that’s why I want to help her – and that means becoming a Dandelion. She’ll need all the help she can get to pull this off.” He paused for a moment, looking towards the clocktower again. As always, Brain looked incredibly young without his hat, even more so than usual with that vulnerable look in his eyes. “But to tell the truth,” he mused, almost to himself, “if this world is gonna be destroyed, then I’d still rather use my life to rebuild it, no matter the cost.”

“Yeah.” Me too.

Brain straightened. “That doesn’t mean I’m just going to give up on everyone still here, though,” he announced. That vulnerable look was gone, replaced by steely determination. “I can’t do much about the Unions – that’ll have to be up to the Foretellers – but people will need healing items now more than ever and that I _can_ help with.” He pushed himself to his feet, chair scraping across the ground. “You good to go? I wanna see if there’s anyone trading stuff I’ll need in the markets.”

I swallowed my last mouthful of cake. “Coming!” I bounded across the table and leapt up into place on Brain’s shoulder. Sitting up here was always fun; it was easier for me to talk to Brain, I could see for miles, _and_ I didn’t have to walk – all advantages when wandering around in the crowded markets. Once I’d found my footing, I adjusted Brain’s hat, holding onto it with a paw in case the wind caught it.

“Am I ever getting that back, by the way?” Brain asked as we ambled towards the market square. His hands were shoved in his pockets.

“Nope!” I declared cheerfully. “It’s mine now.”

Brain just laughed, shaking his head slightly, and spent the rest of the journey through the streets of Daybreak trying to compile a verbal list of items he would need. I listened with half an ear, most of my attention spent just watching the people we passed. How many of them would become Dandelions? How many would fall to darkness?

A poke to my cheek jolted me out of my thoughts. “Stop that.”

“Stop what?” I asked in confusion, rubbing at my cheek.

“I can hear you fretting from here,” Brain said absently, passing through the giant doorway that marked the entrance to the markets. “Focus on things we can actually do something about, not what we can’t.”

I blew out a breath. Brain was right, worrying about this wouldn’t solve anything. “Geez, when did you get so wise?” I grumbled. Brain just grinned.

“Come on,” he said instead. “Let’s see what we can find.”

We wandered around the busy stalls, the sounds of the marketplace washing over us. I flattened my ears beneath Brain’s hat – it was a little _too_ noisy for me – and looked around as Brain poked around the wares on show. Despite the noise, I always enjoyed coming to the market; it was lively and colourful and there was always something new to see wherever you looked.

A few crystals here, a few potion ingredients there; Brain was being more thorough in his search than he was normally. Surprisingly – or maybe not, considering – not all of the items in Brain’s pockets came from the stalls; at least a third were things gifted to him by other wielders who had recognised him and come to ask what he needed. It was hard to believe that the Unions could turn against each other when such kindness existed.

All of Brain’s careful searching may have found us more synthesis materials than usual, but it sure did take a lot longer than our usual trips to the market. This was probably going to become a regular thing from now on, too. I wasn’t gonna abandon Brain to all his preparation – after all, I was part of the Dandelions too! – but I sure hoped it would be less boring in the future. I flopped over Brain’s shoulder and sighed.

Brain shot me an amused but sympathetic look as he idly flipped through some fabric on display with one hand as we waited for the stall owner to finish up a sale with another customer. A bunch of crystals glittered in his other hand, like the ones I had found for him all those months ago. The fabric looked pretty comfy, compared to Brain’s shoulder. And of course, it was black. I wondered if Brain was thinking about patching some of the burn marks on his clothes, or the tears from sharp Heartless claws.

With nothing better to do, I jumped down from his shoulder and began investigating the material myself, ignoring the soft amused noise my partner made as I patted each fabric. “You should get this one,” I informed Brain when my investigation was complete, pointing at one of the rolls.

“Hrm? Why that one?” Brain asked, still looking amused.

“Because it’s soft!” I declared. Why would you get a fabric that didn’t feel nice?

Brain huffed a laugh, but before he could say anything the stall owner finally acknowledged us. Brain turned to show him the crystals he had chosen, and before long the two of them were engaged in a lively back and forth of haggling while I cooled my heels.

“Thanks,” Brain said, tucking the crystals away, and I realised they were finished. “Chirithy, you good?” I leapt to my feet eagerly, ready to move on. Brain let me climb back onto his shoulder, and we were off again into the throng of people.

The afternoon sun had begun to stain the sky orange. Brain’s hand rose as if to adjust his hat, fingers closing on empty air. With an exasperated snort, he let his hand fall again. “Feels kinda weird without my hat,” he admitted when he noticed me looking. His hand rose again, smoothing over his hair. “Not used to people seeing so much of my face.”

My face scrunched up in confusion. “I see your face all the time, though?” It was a fairly normal face, nice-looking even. What was there to worry about?

“You don’t count.”

“Gee, thanks,” I replied, sarcastic.

“You know what I mean,” he chided, poking my cheek. I did know, but poking me was unfair!

“Maybe if you didn’t hide behind your hat all the time and act so mysterious, more people would know you,” I grumbled, rubbing at my cheek. He was friendly to everyone, and they in return, but no-one was ever more than a passing acquaintance. Well, he’d finally admitted that both Ava and I were his friends, at least! But two friends weren’t a lot and besides, as perfect as I was, I was still a Chirithy – and Ava was a Foreteller, busy more often than not. Brain deserved to have more friends his own age who he could spend time with; I didn’t want him to be alone.

Not that he was alone, because he had me, but even so…

Brain eyed me as I fell silent. “Are you worrying about me again?”

“I always worry about you,” I replied flatly and completely truthfully. Of course I did; it was my job to worry about my wielder, not to mention my friend.

He grinned, white teeth flashing. “Well, don’t fret so much over this one,” he advised, turning to look where we were going. “The friends I have are enough for me.”

_There’s only two of us, though…_ It wasn’t fair. Brain was such a kind soul; he deserved to have more people in his life who cared about him. “Just you wait!” I declared, waving my arm for emphasis. “One day people are gonna know how kind you actually are!” _And then, I’m sure, you’ll find people who want to stay by your side and help me look after you._

Brain burst out laughing. “Is that meant to be reassuring, or a threat?”

I let my arm drop. “Hmph.”

“Besides,” Brain added a few moments later, interrupting the steady stream of grumbling I was doing under my breath, “you like my hat.” His grin hadn’t faded a jot.

“’Cause it’s cool!” I retorted without thinking. Brain started laughing again as my mind caught up with my mouth. “Wait, no, ignore that – this is serious, Brain!”

Brain was still cackling quietly as I flailed. “Don’t worry,” he reassured me, still grinning. “It suits you too.”

That wasn’t the point! I could tell that I wasn’t going to get anywhere with the previous conversation, though. I sniffed, ignoring the spots of colour blooming high on my cheeks. “’Course it does,” I said loftily.

With a quiet chuckle, Brain scritched fingers through the fur across my cheek. I closed my eyes, humming a bit; it always felt nice when Brain did that. The peace was shattered a moment later when Brain asked in surprise, “Are you _blushing?_ ”

“No,” I lied. Ugh, this was embarrassing!

Thankfully, Brain didn’t call me out on my bald-faced lie; merely hummed in reply and glanced up at the darkening sky. “Come on, there’s still a few things I wanna find before the market starts closing.”

.  
.  
.  
.

The sun had started to set by the time Brain decided to call it a day. We left the market, stopping on the way out for Brain to buy ingredients for dinner. Brain had acquired bags at some point for his purchases, his pockets no longer big enough to store everything safely. He carried one in each hand as we made our way through the back streets to Brain’s apartment. I magnanimously decided not to burden him further; instead, I walked by his side, humming quietly. Sadly, Brain had reclaimed his hat as we were leaving; the nights were starting to get a little chilly, and my ears quivered without his hat to warm them.

Despite it only being early evening, the streets between the market and Brain’s apartment were quiet, with barely anyone else out walking. The lanterns that lined the street were just starting to light up, making the atmosphere feel cosy. It had been a long day; I was looking forward to curling up on Brain’s bed while he made dinner, warm and comfy.

Even so, going to the market had lifted my mood quite a bit after that serious talk on the hill, and then with Brain at lunch. Seeing such a riot of vitality and colour had reminded me that there was a whole lot of life in the world, not just the destruction and loss that had been on my mind. I wondered if that had been part of Brain’s plan when he suggested the idea. The relaxed expression on his face, and the way he walked a little lighter than he had on the way down from the hill, made me think that planned or not, Brain had come to the same realisation as me.

“Chirithy.”

I startled at the sound of Brain’s voice; neither of us had spoken since we had left the market. I looked up at him, curious.

Brain smiled, lamplight softening the lines of his face. “Thanks.”

“Huh? What for?” I asked, trying to think of what I might have done that warranted a thank you. I couldn’t think of anything. Was this going to be one of his cryptic answers?

His smile grew into a grin, grey eyes bright. “Worrying about me,” he said simply.

_Oh._

I crossed my arms, looking away to hide the sudden shyness I felt. “…Well, someone has to,” I mumbled, before rallying. “You’d be lost without me, just admit it!”

Brain chuckled quietly. “Of course,” he agreed, sounding sincere.

Oh no, now I felt even more embarrassed! I didn’t think he’d actually say it!

I ducked my head to hide my face. It didn’t help; I could still _feel_ Brain’s amusement. I kinda wished I hadn’t let Brain steal his hat back earlier; it would have been nice to hide behind right now. But even so, our bond glowed so warm in my heart that I forgot how cold I had been feeling earlier – and that made any amount of embarrassment worth it.

“Well… you’re welcome,” I finally said in reply.

I walked on a few paces before I realised that Brain had slowed to a stop behind me. “Brain?” I asked in confusion, turning around to face him. “What’s wrong?”

Brain’s grey eyes studied me, shadowed by the brim of his hat. He looked… young, and uncertain for a moment as he chewed on his lip, clearly debating what he was about to say. “There was one more reason I didn’t mention, before,” he said slowly. “For wanting to join the Dandelions, I mean.”

Another reason? I cocked my head, confused.

Brain sighed, setting his shopping down as he knelt in front of me. His face was serious as he met my eyes. “If I disappear, you disappear too, right?”

I shivered a little bit at the thought. I’d seen some Chirithies fade away before; they always seemed so tired and sad. Strangely though, it wasn’t concern for my fate that made my stomach twist in knots; it was the thought of a world without Brain. “Yeah, that’s right.”

Brain smiled softly. “Then I can’t regret my choice. It’s selfish of me, but I don’t want you to disappear either.” His smile became a mischievous grin. “After all, I’d be lost without you, right?”

He reached out to pat me on the head, but I was already throwing myself forward without thought, hugging Brain as hard as I could. The force of my leap knocked Brain backwards a little bit, but he caught himself quickly and wrapped his arms around me to return the hug.

“You keep saying such cheesy things,” I mumbled against his coat, trying not to cry. That warm glow in my chest pulsed in time with our heartbeats. “What happened to that mysterious vibe you were trying for?”

Brain rested his chin on the top of my head. “I’m not mysterious to my friends,” he countered. “It’s just part of my charm.”

I snorted weakly. I was content to just stay like this for a while – and we did – until I remembered that we were still in the middle of the street. It was getting cold; I didn’t want Brain to get sick. I reluctantly let go and Brain set me down, ruffling the fur on the top of my head before straightening up with a groan.

“Come on, let’s go home.”

As we walked down the street, neither of us noticed the Chirithy watching us from above.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> War coming or not, Chirithy's gonna do his best to make sure you get more friends, Brain haha
> 
> There's a lot of lore I made up for this fic, mostly about Chirithy, and mostly in response to Brain's never-ending questions and curiosity, so, uh, thanks for that Brain haha
> 
> Whether or not you ship it (and for the record, I obviously do haha) Brain and Ava's in-game interactions do seem to indicate that they know each other well and enjoy each other's company, just given by their body language, how relaxed both of them are in their talks and how close Ava sits compared to anyone else, the way they talk to each other, the way she already knew he'd be smart enough to see how sus the whole plan was - I want to see more interactions with them! KHUX animators, please, I'm begging you, take my money hahaha
> 
> Anyway as always, thanks for reading! Hope you're all enjoying it so far C:


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What’s even the point of knowing what the future holds, if we’re powerless to do anything about it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Memory of Melody release tomorrow!!! Whoooooo! \ o / I have absolutely NO sense of rhythm or timing for these kinds of games but I'm still looking forward to it hahaha
> 
> If you noticed the chapter count went down to 8, it's because I realised I realised I'd divided up this fic into one less chapter than I originally thought... so I've fixed that.
> 
> Here we go!

_A few months later…_

Night had fallen over Daybreak Town many hours ago. Inside Brain’s apartment, the soft light from the lamps around the room made things feel cosy. I was sitting on the edge of Brain’s bed, swinging my legs back and forth idly as I munched on some tasty cookies Brain had baked earlier. Brain was sitting cross-legged in his chair by his desk, frowning at the book in his lap. It didn’t look at all comfortable.

As I watched, Brain yawned, barely stifling it with the back of one hand. He looked tired – though recently, he always looked tired. “Maybe you should go to bed,” I suggested, worry clear in my voice. Judging by the hour, I was sure we were the only two people in Daybreak Town still awake.

“Nah, I’m okay,” Brain reassured me with a smile. Even his smile looked weary though, so it didn’t actually make me feel any better. “Just gonna finish this chapter.” He waved a hand towards the book in his lap.

“Okay…” I replied, highly sceptical. He’d been saying the same thing for at least the past hour and had been yawning for almost twice that. It wasn’t the first time I’d suggested he go to sleep.

Sure enough, a few minutes later Brain yawned again. He hid it quickly behind a hand but wasn’t fast enough to stop me from seeing.

“That’s it!” I announced, getting to my feet and pointing at him. Brain eyed me, a faint look of guilt on his face. “Just go to bed! This is why you nap during the day all the time!”

“I’m fine, I’ll be finished soon,” Brain insisted. I scoffed and jumped down from the bed. Brain watched me make my way over, those grey eyes looking so tired. “Why don’t you go to sleep?” he offered, leaning over the armrest to look down at me. “You don’t have to wait up for me.”

I crossed my arms, making sure I was wearing my very best unimpressed face. “I’m a Chirithy, remember? I don’t need to sleep.”

Brain propped his elbow up on the armrest, resting his chin in his hand. “That must be nice,” he said, a wistful note in his voice. “Imagine all the books I could read then.”

I made a face up at him – if there was one thing Brain didn’t need to do more, it was read more books! Brain chuckled, though it quickly turned into yet another yawn into his hand. I narrowed my eyes; Brain had a split-second warning to hurriedly shove his book onto the desk before I hopped up onto his lap. “You, however, actually do need to sleep,” I said pointedly, paws on hips. Brain grimaced faintly, his eyes darting away from mine. That was strange, it was almost like the thought of sleep was –

Understanding suddenly hit me. “Oh,” I said, ears drooping. “Or do you just not want to sleep?”

Brain was silent for a moment before he huffed a laugh, returning his gaze to mine. “Can’t hide anything from you, can I?” he joked affectionately, rubbing my head.

“It’s not like you try to,” I grumbled. I looked up at him in concern from under his hand. “You haven’t been sleeping well lately… what’s wrong? Nightmares?” It was supposed to be my job to keep nightmares away, but they could be subtle and slip beneath my notice sometimes. I’d have to keep a closer watch!

Brain sighed, raising his hand to run it through his hair and rest it on the back of his neck. “No, not nightmares.” His mouth quirked wryly. “More the opposite, really. I start thinking about everything that’s going on and it worries me enough that it’s hard to fall asleep at all.”

“As always, you think too much,” I told him dryly.

“Har har,” Brain replied, equally dry. “Well, maybe. But you feel it too, right?” He looked towards the window, out towards the rest of Daybreak Town. “Everyone’s so angry and agitated all the time, and they fight amongst themselves for the smallest of things. It’s not like they need to; there’s more Heartless around town than I’ve ever seen before, more than enough for everyone.” Brain sighed. “Not to mention all the tension between the Unions…” He was still looking towards the window, but the troubled look on his face and the faraway look in his eyes told me he wasn’t seeing the view anymore.

“Yeah… it’s getting worse,” I agreed sombrely. And it was; even all those months ago when Ava had invited us to join the Dandelions, there had been signs of unrest starting to simmer under the surface, but now it was openly beginning to boil. Distrust and anger, even outright violence was starting to grow between the other Keyblade wielders and the Unions and it worried me greatly. Even Brain, who generally remained out of the way of most Keyblade wielders unless they needed his help, had encountered it: several other members from his Union had gotten angry about the way he gave out potions and ethers to members of other Unions and had confronted him about it on the street one day. I’m still not sure how exactly Brain managed to resolve it without it coming to blows – there had definitely been shouting, and some of that had even been Brain, which surprised me as I’d never heard him raise his voice before – but Brain had seen my distress. He set a hand on my head reassuringly and spoke firmly after that, and his fellow Union members had scurried off in shame in short order. He’d apologised to me afterwards, though I wasn’t sure why. I had hugged him very hard, to reassure us both that we were okay, and Brain had hugged back with equal force.

The incident hadn’t stopped Brain from handing out recovery items to anyone who showed up at his door to trade – he was determined to not let Union tension bother him – but I’d watched him draw a Stopga spell matrix on the back of his door as a safety measure that afternoon. _Am I being ridiculous?_ Brain had asked when he finished, studying his work. _No,_ I’d replied sadly. _No, not at all._

“The war that Ava told us about…” Brain said now. He stared at his hands, clenched them. “It feels like it’s getting closer, and there’s nothing I can do about it. And over something like Lux… it feels so pointless. We’re meant to fight darkness, not each other.” He frowned, grey eyes growing dark and stormy. “What’s even the point of knowing what the future holds if we’re powerless to do anything about it?”

My ears drooped. I was starting to smell darkness all over the town; how far away was the war that Master Ava had warned us about? Brain was a Dandelion now; he wasn’t supposed to take part in the war. A selfish part of me was glad about that. But even if none of them were people he called friends, it would still be hard to watch nearly everyone you knew fade away. I could only imagine how his heart was hurting. No wonder he couldn’t sleep…

I rested a paw on one of his hands, clenched on his knee. “I’m sorry,” I told him, my gaze downcast. “I don’t have any good answers for you.”

Brain softened, any traces of anger slipping away. “Hey, that’s okay.” His eyes were gentle when I met his gaze. “It’s not your fault.” His arms enfolded me in a hug. I had no complaints – a hug sounded good right about now. I leant against his chest, his pyjamas – black like every other piece of clothing he owned – soft under my cheek, and wrapped my arms around his middle as best I could. Brain sighed and slid down in the chair until he was practically curled around me, bare feet dug precariously into the edge of the chair to stop us sliding off. He’d hurt his back if he stayed like this for long, but I didn’t say anything. It was comforting, and we both sorely needed the comfort.

The sound of his heartbeat under my ear lulled me into a drowsy state, which I broke eventually with some difficulty. “Brain?”

“Mm?” Brain’s cheek was resting against the top of my head; the vibration of his questioning hum shivered through my fur.

“I know it’s hard,” I said quietly, “but you should try to get some sleep.”

A pause, then a long sigh. “You’re right.” Brain shifted until he was upright in the chair again, letting go of me to stretch out muscles that had gone stiff. He smiled at me lopsidedly. “I’ll try, at least.”

“Good.” I punctuated this with a nod and pointed to the doorway that lead to the kitchen and bathroom. “Now go clean your teeth,” I commanded.

Brain laughed. “Alright, alright, I’m going.” He stood up, setting me down carefully in the spot he’d just vacated. He stretched again with a groan, joints cracking – it sounded awful! – and wandered off in the direction I’d pointed.

Left to myself, I sighed. _Sadness in the heart leads to darkness_ , Master Ava had once said. What could I do to raise Brain’s spirits? I didn’t think Brain would fall to darkness – power didn’t interest him – but I didn’t want Brain to be sad. The world was a mess right now, but we had to keep going. Seeing him so despondent made my heart hurt as well.

For now, though, I really needed to find a way to help distract Brain enough so that he could sleep. The bookshelves in the corner of the room caught my eye: it had taken a while, but Brain had finally given into my grumbling and found some extra bookshelves to store all of his books, rather than the floor and every other available surface. The result was a rather smart-looking little library in the corner beside the door, my new-found ability to finally see the floor and best of all, space to move around without worrying about knocking things over. It had been a novel discovery to find there had been a pretty rug underneath those stacks of books all this time.

Inspiration struck. “That’s it!” I cheered.

Brain poked his head around the door, toothbrush in hand. “Huh?”

I pointed at him triumphantly. “I know what will help with your sleep problem!” I declared. “You should read to me.”

Brain blinked in confusion, before catching on. He leaned against the doorframe, crossing his arms. “In this situation, I think _you’re_ the one who’s meant to read to _me_ ,” he pointed out with a grin.

“Yeah, but you like to read,” I told him matter-of-factly. A win-win situation for everyone!

Brain laughed. “Well, guess I can’t argue with that logic,” he said with a shrug and a grin. He disappeared round the edge of the doorway again. I hummed and swung my legs back and forth happily before launching myself off the chair, landing lightly and bouncing over to the bed to wait for Brain. I was a genius!

Before too long, Brain padded back into the room and began to browse through his collection of books. “So, what do you want me to read you?” he asked, running a hand along the edge of a shelf as he scrutinised titles. “Let’s see, I’ve got… _The Art of Synthesis: An Extensive History on Forging Artefacts_ … uh… _Advanced Spell-work Volume One… Two…Three_ … hrm, maybe not… what about –?”

I groaned, flopping backwards. “Don’t you own anything that’s _not_ about spells and synthesis?” I complained to the ceiling. Honestly! I should have known! That might send _me_ off to sleep but it probably wouldn’t help Brain.

Over in the corner, I heard Brain laugh. “Sorry,” he said, not sounding at _all_ contrite. There was a thoughtful hum and the sound of fingers drumming against wood. “Maybe this one, then.”

The sound of his footsteps grew closer; I pulled myself up into a sitting position as Brain approached, book in hand. I eyed it suspiciously. It was thinner than most of the books in his collection, but was it actually just another one on spell-work? Brain’s hand was covering most of it, so I couldn’t see.

Brain grinned at me, motioning for me to move over and make space. I did so, and he climbed onto the bed and settled against the headboard, legs under the covers. Once the pillows were arranged to his satisfaction and I’d found a comfortable seat on his lap, he showed me the book.

“ _A Thorn Among the Roses_ …?” I read off the cover. Under the title, there was a picture of a man with a long coat blowing dramatically in an unseen breeze as he stood on a rocky cliff, a hat not unlike Brain’s shadowing his eyes. And there, standing tall on his shoulder – a Chirithy, with a detective’s cap perched on his head! Behind them, a painting of flowers scattered petals in the wind. It looked very dramatic! “I didn’t know you had books like this!” I said in surprise, leaning closer for a better look at the Chirithy. It was completely unlike any of the usual kind of books Brain read – that is to say, it looked interesting, not dry and boring.

“Ah, yeah… Ava lent it to me originally; it’s one of her favourites. I didn’t think I would, but I actually really enjoyed it, so I got a copy for myself,” Brain explained. “I’ve been trying to find the sequels, but it’s apparently a really popular series. There’s a waiting list a mile long at the library.” He looked so disgruntled about it that I couldn’t help but giggle a bit. “It’s a mystery novel, about a detective and his Chirithy partner who solve crime together.” I perked up; that sounded exciting! “In this one, a famous painting gets stolen from an island museum and it turns out –” Brain paused. “Well, you’ll find out,” he finished with a wink. I made a face at him, earning a grin in return as he flipped the book open to the first page. There were bandages all over his fingers, I realised in surprise. When had that happened? “I don’t know if it’s the best novel to read to try and sleep…”

I forgot about the bandages. “Read it, read it, read it!!” I chanted, bouncing excitedly. With an amused look on his face, Brain obliged.

He was a good narrator, and soon I was lost in the story, eager to find out exactly how Detective Nosy and his Chirithy were going to find the thief. Eventually, however, Brain’s yawns outnumbered the words he was trying to read, and with a sigh, he closed the book. “That’s all for tonight, I think.”

“Awww,” I pouted. We’d been up to such a good part!

“I’ll read you more tomorrow,” Brain promised. “But I think I’m ready to achieve our original goal now.” Oh yeah, this was meant to be a way to help Brain sleep. Whoops!

Brain placed the book on the bedside table and slide down under the covers properly, lifting the sheets up for me to wriggle in beside him. “Tomorrow’s a new day,” I told him softly. “We’ll figure something out.”

He smiled sleepily. “Sounds good.” He curled up around me, chin brushing against the top of my head, knees bumping my feet. His fingers scratched gently through the fur on the back of my head in a soothing gesture. We lay curled up like that for a while, until Brain’s fingers slowed in their gentle petting and his breathing evened out into the slow, deep breaths of sleep. I closed my eyes.

This was nice, I thought. If only we could stay like this for a while.

If only there wasn’t a war to come…

For now, though, I’d guard Brain’s dreams.

**+++**

I paced around on the top of the clocktower, back and forth, back and forth, until it felt like I must be wearing a groove into the stone. When I stopped to check, though, I had luckily done no such thing. I wasn’t really sure how I would have fixed that. Brain would have known, but he wasn’t allowed up here... I shook my head. This wasn’t the time to get distracted!

“You again,” a voice sighed. “Wow, you really don’t get the concept of ‘forbidden’, do you?”

I spun around, almost toppling over with the force of it. “Chirithy!” It was the other me who always appeared when I came up here, exactly who I had been hoping to see. The other Chirithy’s disgruntled expression quickly became one of alarm as I rushed over, barely skidding to a stop in front of them. “Is there really going to be a war?!” I demanded.

The other Chirithy reeled backwards, eyes wide. “Wha – why are you asking me?!”

I waved my arms impatiently. “You’re always up here when I turn up, so either you’re breaking rules too, or you’re allowed to be here… which means you must know the Foretellers, right?”

Their startled look faded into resignation, and they sighed. “I mean, I wouldn’t say I know them that well,” they said glumly, looking off to the side and wrapping their arms around themselves. “Especially these days…” they added in a barely audible mutter.

I frowned. Now that I was looking more closely, the other me seemed kinda tired and downcast. “Hey, are you okay…?”

“Huh?” they replied, startled. “Oh… I’m okay, but I’m worried about my wielder.” They looked down, rubbing an arm with the other paw. “Some of her friends have been fighting recently, and it troubles her. She’s not sleeping well.”

“Oh… that’s too bad,” I said sympathetically, reaching out to pat them on the shoulder. “It’s the same with mine – well, not the friends, but the not sleeping.” Sometimes reading to me worked and sometimes it didn’t, and there were nights where Brain would lay awake all night and have shadows under his eyes the next day. Sometimes he’d give up and go and work on something, but most of the time he just curled up around me and stared off into the depths of the room. Either way, I always made sure we didn’t do any missions the next day, and it wasn’t like Brain needed any encouragement to nap on the hill. Missions could wait; looking after Brain was my number one priority now. “The mood around town is getting worse with every day… Everyone is fighting.”

My ears drooped; things were bad. I sighed heavily and sat down on the stone rail that bordered the roof, looking up at the pre-dawn coloured sky. After a moment, the other Chirithy joined me, sighing as well. Side by side, we contemplated the clouds and the faint stars beyond, each of us absorbed in our own thoughts. My thoughts revolved around Brain, and prophecies, forbidden things and the potential war to come, round and round in an endless circle of worries. I don’t know what the other me was thinking about, but they sure did sigh a lot.

“ _Do_ you know if there’s gonna be a war?” I asked eventually, still staring up at the sky. “Master Ava sounded so sure about it, and the way things are going… well.” I grimaced.

“Well, it’s what the Book of Prophecies says will happen…” my companion replied, sounding resigned.

“Why, though?” I asked. It seemed like Brain had really rubbed off on me with all his endless questions. Still, though, every question he asked was always a good one.

I felt the other Chirithy reel back to stare at me in surprise. “Huh?!”

“Just because the Book of Prophecies says there will be a war, do we really have to have one?” My shoulders slumped. “Can’t we all just say no?”

My gaze drifted slowly down until I looked out over Daybreak Town, and all the people going about their daily lives, doing missions, collecting Lux. But also making friends, growing plants, reading books and _living_ life. Somewhere out there was Brain, going about his business too. I wondered what he was doing, if he’d found a good spot to nap in, or if another book had caught his eye. All these lives… wasn’t there anything we could do?

The other Chirithy was still staring at me with wide eyes. “I’ve been thinking… about something my wielder said,” I continued, glancing down at my paws. “What’s the point of knowing the future if we can’t do something about it? I don’t want there to be a war.” My paws curled into fists. “And even though he’s a Dandelion, I don’t want Brain to have to go through that. The Dandelions are there to preserve the light of the world and carry it into the future, but… are we really just supposed to abandon everyone else?”

They looked away from me, eyes sad. “…We can’t afford the chance that darkness will carry onto the new world,” they said glumly. “There’s a reason only certain wielders are picked for the Dandelions… but it’s a touch choice to make.”

I huffed. “Well, I don’t have to agree with it.”

“No, I suppose not.”

We sat in gloomy silence for a while. The other Chirithy fidgeted a little, and then turned to me. “…He really wants to change the future?” they asked curiously, head tilted to the side.

“Mmm,” I said, trying to figure out how to put the feeling I’d gotten from Brain into words. “I think he wants to know why he can’t.”

“He’s not the only one,” the other Chirithy muttered, too low for me to hear. They considered my answer for a while, and then offered tentatively, without looking at me, “Well, you never know. My wielder… she’s starting to think the same. Would yours help her, if there was a chance to do something?”

I sat bolt upright, twisting to look at the other me with wide eyes. “Really?! There’s something we could do?!”

The other Chirithy shook their head, waving their arms in a calming motion; I settled down reluctantly. “This is just a hypothetical,” they warned. “I don’t even know if anything _can_ be done.”

“Oh…” I said, some of my enthusiasm draining away. Still, even if it was only a hypothetical scenario… I put my paw to my snout, thinking hard. Would Brain help? “Well, I can’t answer for him, and he thinks things through a lot more thoroughly than I do, but… he likes helping people, more than he’s ever cared about collecting Lux or making his Union the strongest. I think… if it would help people, if he could change things… he’d do his best to make it happen.” How much of his current sadness was the feeling of powerlessness that came from the thought of an unavoidable war? Brain’s heart was strong, but I was determined to make sure that darkness never got even the slightest claw in it – and that meant making sure the light of his heart never wavered.

“I see…” the other Chirithy said. They sounded thoughtful. “Well, maybe we’ll think of something, then.”

“Mm,” I agreed. Above us, the sky was the same pre-dawn colour as always. “I sure hope so.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, Ava got Brain into reading cheesy detective novels at their book club... to be honest I kinda wanna read it too haha 
> 
> Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's a perfect day for a picnic :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In celebration of me finishing the story part of KHMoM (against all odds as I have no sense of rhythm haha) I am posting both this chapter and the next chapter, which is the epilogue! 
> 
> I guess there are potential spoilers in this chapter for the reveals that occur straight after everyone meets up in the control room with the computers, but I feel like if you're reading a fic about Brain and his Chirithy then you're probably already aware of those haha
> 
> Enjoy!!

I appeared in Brain’s apartment and was surprised to find the room empty – no Brain curled up in his chair by the desk or browsing through his vast collection of books. I could hear movement in the other room, however, so I headed that way instead. Curious, I stuck my head through the doorway and found Brain rummaging around in the kitchen. A large wicker basket sat on the table – I could have comfortably fit in it – and piled next to it were containers of all sizes and colours and a folded square of gingham cloth. I jumped onto the table, peering into the wicker basket curiously. What was all this?

Brain’s head popped up over the open refrigerator door, his face lighting up when he saw me. “Oh, hey Chirithy!” he said with a smile, giving me a little wave. He leant both arms on the top of the fridge door. “I figured since we’ve got no missions today, we could go for a picnic. How about it?”

“Yeah!” I cheered, raising my arms. As if I’d turn down an opportunity to eat Brain’s cooking!

Brain grinned. “I’ll be ready to go in a minute, I just have to finish making these,” he explained, jerking a thumb over his shoulder at the counter behind him. He disappeared behind the door again before reappearing with vegetables in hand, closing the fridge door with his foot and dumping everything on the counter. As he started to cut everything up, I left the basket on the table and hopped up onto the counter instead.

“What are you making?” I asked curiously.

“Sandwiches,” Brain replied as he worked. “Quick and easy.”

“Can I help?” The sooner we got everything made, the sooner we could eat it!

Brain considered this for a moment. “Yeah, alright… you wanna butter the bread for me?” He pointed out the loaf of bread and the various spreads sitting next to it.

“On it!” I said with determination, rolling up my metaphorical sleeves. A loaf of bread couldn’t beat me!

.  
.  
.  
  


…Okay, so it was harder than it looked! But in my defence, I’m very small!

Still, we made a good team, like always: me wrangling the bread and spreads, Brain assembling them all together and cutting the sandwiches into quarters, which he carefully packed away. In no time at all, the sandwiches were done and tucked away inside the wicker basket along with all the other food. I danced around Brain’s feet, barely containing my eagerness. “Come on, come on, come on, let’s goooooo!”

“Alright, alright,” Brain laughed, hooking the basket over his arm. “I’m coming.”

I bounced impatiently as Brain locked the door behind us and then we were off. It was a lovely day outside, and the streets were filled with people. I could almost forget the tensions between Unions, forget the war that was looming on our doorsteps… I shook my head to clear it. No worrying about that today! I was gonna enjoy this picnic with Brain. It had been a while since we had had a day solely to ourselves.

It didn’t take me long to realise where we were heading: the hilltop overlooking Daybreak Town, Brain’s favourite place to nap. We had visited other places in and around Daybreak Town – places Brain had known before, others that I found on my wanderings when Brain was busy or asleep – but somehow, we always ended up back there. Brain claimed it was the best spot to soak up sunlight. I didn’t know how true that was, but in the end it didn’t matter. The hilltop had become a place I thought of as ours.

Brain didn’t say much on the walk there, which wasn’t that unusual. He seemed a little bit preoccupied, though, and I worried that maybe there was something weighing on his mind. Our bond seemed steady enough when I examined it, although it felt like it was vibrating softly in my chest when I wasn’t paying attention, like a guitar string left humming after you’d played a note. I snuck a few glances at Brain out of the corner of my eye – at least, until he caught me looking and grinned down at me. It seemed like everything was alright though, so I felt my shoulders relax. Probably nothing, then.

We made our way up the hill with the sun high overhead. Luckily, there was no-one else up there to disturb us, and Brain made immediately for his favourite spot. He set the basket down, surveying the grass with hands on hips and nodded, looking pleased. “Great. Help me with this, would you?” he asked me, pulling the folded square of cloth from the basket.

“Okay!”

With a grand flourish, Brain shook out the cloth, settling it on the ground as I ran around the edges to make sure they sat straight. I followed Brain’s lead and promptly flopped down onto the cloth, watching in fascination as Brain began to unpack the picnic basket. Plates and mugs for the two of us, a thermos – from the smell, it was coffee – and container after container of food, until the entire picnic blanket was covered with snacks of every type. I could see the sandwiches that I had helped make; over there, delicious-looking pastries and miniature muffins like the ones we had shared at the fountain so long ago; over here, some kind of small vegetable-stuffed pastry roll and sweet egg cubes. A veritable feast of savoury and sweet, and all of it smelled good enough to make my mouth water. “Wow, Brain!” I breathed in awe, eyes wide. “When did you make all this?” It must have taken _hours_ …

Brain shrugged nonchalantly. “I had some free time.” He put his hands up in surrender as I levelled him with a suspicious gaze. “Don’t look at me like that, I promise I slept,” he said with a grin. “A whole night’s sleep, in fact.”

I squinted at him a little longer, trying to figure out if he was telling me the truth. Not that Brain had ever lied to me, but our ideas of what constituted a good night’s sleep could be quite different sometimes. Still, he looked rested enough, so I decided to accept his answer. “Good,” I said with a firm nod, crossing my arms.

Brain didn’t seem in the least bit intimidated by my sternness, as always. Still grinning, he filled a mug with coffee from the thermos, offering it to me. I took it with both hands, looking again at the feast spread before me as Brain poured himself some coffee as well.

“I’ve never had a picnic before,” I confessed, a little intimidated despite myself.

“Well, it’s not that hard,” Brain reassured me, handing me a plate. He began to pile things onto his own plate as he spoke. “We sit here and eat, and enjoy the view,” he waved towards Daybreak Town below us, resplendent as always, “…and then we nap.”

Something about that seemed… not quite right. “That just sounds like what you always do anyway,” I replied, suspicious.

Brain laughed. “Well, maybe it’s not that different, no. But the point is to just relax and enjoy yourself, so, seriously, dig in.” He gestured towards the food.

I didn’t need telling twice – I followed Brain’s example and piled one of everything onto my plate, with Brain kindly passing me containers that were too far away for my arms to reach. As expected of Brain’s cooking, everything was delicious, and I hummed in delight as I ate. Conversation was lazy; Brain offering a few thoughts here and there, or me with stories from my trips through town, but mostly we were content to sit there and eat in relative silence, simply enjoying each other’s company.

It really was a lovely day; the sun was warm overhead, and the breeze was gentle and smelt of the sea. Perfect napping conditions, as Brain had once described it. It was nice just to sit here and take a break from the whirlwind that life had become nowadays. Brain clearly agreed; when I snuck a glance at him, he was leaning back on his hands with his plate balanced in his lap, his eyes closed and head tilted back to let the sunshine warm his face. He looked content, a rare thing nowadays – especially since yet another talk with Ava about the future on this very hill. Between training with Ava and the other Dandelions and his usual array of missions, Brain was spending all of his free time either researching through every book he could get his hands on about dream worlds and Lux, or collecting materials and synthesising items to give away. Lazy days spent napping on the hilltop were few and far between, but I made a note to myself to suggest more of them. It wouldn’t do anyone any good for Brain to run himself ragged – least of all Brain – and it was still my job as his partner to keep an eye on him and look after him.

I was feeling pleasantly full by the time we had made our way through most of the food. I patted my stomach, flopping backwards with a groan of satisfaction. Brain snickered at my plight around a mouthful of pastry. “Don’t be mean,” I whined. “I’m so full…” My piteous whine did not stop his snickering, but it did earn me a pat on the head, so that was something, I suppose.

Lying down like this was really comfy, though… maybe Brain was onto something about the nap part of a picnic after all. I stared up at the sky, contemplating the faint points of light that lay beyond the pre-dawn blue. I wondered what would happen to the other worlds, when war came and Daybreak Town fell? I hoped they’d still be alright. It was going to be hard enough to rebuild one world, let alone all of them.

My mind continued to wander aimlessly as I lay there, paws resting on my stomach. In my sleepy haze, it took me a lot longer than it should have to notice that the quiver from earlier had crept back into the bond between myself and Brain. My brows furrowed. Brain was always a calm, steady presence inside my heart – even our connection strengthening after our talk in the flower glade had not changed that; he was just good at keeping his emotions in check – and none of the rare occasions that managed to rattle him had produced anything like this feeling. The only time that came close was how it jangled when Brain had been worried about me, but this was much softer. It wasn’t sorrow, it wasn’t _quite_ worry, it was almost like…

I turned my head to look at Brain. He had set his plate aside, leaning back on his hands as he stared distantly towards Daybreak Town. He was chewing on his lip absently, something he only did when he was thinking furiously – or when he was feeling nervous, an exceedingly rare state for Brain indeed. Things clicked into place in my mind, and suddenly I could see that same nervous hum of energy vibrating in my chest reflected in his pose. 

“Ah-hah!” I exclaimed loudly, making Brain jump. I pointed at him in accusation. “I knew it!”

“Huh?”

“You’re nervous about something,” I declared. Brain looked startled, his eyebrows raised so high they disappeared under his hat for a moment before he chuckled.

“Okay, you got me,” he admitted, tipping his hat back to flash me a grin. Hah! Detective Nosy’s Chirithy partner had nothing on me!

I sat up, only struggling a little bit. “Alright, spill. What’s on your mind?” I asked in concern. “Is it to do with the Dandelions?”

Brain shook his head. “Nah, you know all about that anyway.” That left me stumped. What else would make Brain nervous? “Don’t worry, it’s nothing bad,” he added with a grin, seeing my confusion. “The opposite, really.”

That did nothing to clear things up. So… something good, then…?

A thought occurred to me, cheering me up immensely. “Oh, is it about Ava?” I asked eagerly, bouncing a little bit with my sudden excitement. “Did you get a date?!”

“What? No!” Brain spluttered. He tried to frown at me, but the effect was spoiled by the pink dusting his cheeks.

“That’s a shame. Are you sure?” I pressed. “I could give you some dating advice!”

He narrowed his eyes at me. “Absolutely not.”

“Aww,” I said, deflating. That would have been fun. I guess Brain had been doing fine without my advice so far, though. “Your loss, then.”

I was too deep in thought to notice Brain rolling his eyes, busy trying to figure out the reason for Brain’s nervousness. Strangely enough, the bond had settled again, back to its usual warm and steady glow. Was he no longer nervous? He wouldn’t bother trying to hide it now that I knew… but if it wasn’t about the Dandelions and it wasn’t about Ava…?

Brain’s teasing voice cut into my thoughts. “You look so serious,” he laughed. “I’ll give you a hint: it’s about today.”

That was the most unhelpful hint I’d ever heard in my life! Try as I might, I couldn’t remember anything that set today apart from any of the other days in the week. I looked at Brain helplessly.

He smiled softly, leaning over to rub my head. “It’s been a year today since we became friends, so I wanted to celebrate,” he explained, gesturing around us at the picnic he had set up.

I sat up straight. “Oh!” I looked around at the lunch Brain had made us with wide eyes. Brain had done all this to celebrate us being friends? My heart glowed with warmth, touched by the idea. But – wait.

“We’ve known each other for longer than a year, though?” I said slowly, turning back to Brain with confusion. It wasn’t like Brain to mistake something like that; he had an exceptional memory.

“Yeah, I know.” Brain grinned playfully, although I could see that the faint blush from earlier had returned. “But it’s been a year since you told me we were friends, in that flower field.”

“Oh!” My eyes went wide. Brain had remembered something like that? The conversation had been important enough to him to mark the date…? I felt a prickling behind my eyes and willed myself not to tear up.

Brain’s smile turned wry. “I wasn’t actually sure if you liked me, ‘til then,” he confessed, rubbing the back of his neck self-consciously.

“Whaaaaaat?!” Almost-tears forgotten, I reeled at this discovery. Brain had thought I didn’t like him? How could he have thought that? Surely I’d made it clear before then…

My ears drooped. Well… I guess I scolded him a lot, back then…

“I know I’m not really a typical wielder,” Brain continued, watching me with grey eyes, “and I know that caused problems for you, so… sorry about that.”

There was something wrong about Brain apologising for being himself; it made me feel kinda sad, and I wondered if this was how Brain had felt when I said I was just another Chirithy. “Well… you weren’t what I was expecting, that’s for sure,” I said truthfully, remembering that first meeting upon the hill, with a sleeping Brain. “You took naps all the time, and spent the rest of your time reading instead of doing missions! I scolded you so much…”

“So really, nothing’s changed,” Brain interrupted, grinning.

I snickered, making a half-hearted attempt to swat at Brain, one he didn’t even try to make a pretence of dodging. I dropped my paws into my lap, growing serious. “You have, though,” I told him. “We both have. I was meant to support you, but it took me a long time to realise that I needed to change my way of thinking as well… be less rigid in what I thought it meant to be a ‘good’ Keyblade wielder. That your own goals were just as important as the ones I thought you should have. So… that one’s on me. I’m sorry if I made you think otherwise.” I paused. “I still can’t believe you overslept our first meeting, though.”

Brain laughed, leaning over to rub the top of my head. “Well, we’ve both come a long way, then.”

I hummed in agreement, closing my eyes and just enjoying the feeling of fingers running through my fur. All too soon, however, Brain was pulling his hand away, leaving my head feeling cold. I opened my eyes to see Brain leaning back on his hands, head tipped back, gazing up at the sky.

“It made me really happy, though,” he said quietly, a faint smile on his face. “When you said we were friends that day. I’d never really had a friend before, you see.” His eyes were almost silver in the midday sun. “Being on my own never really bothered me, but… I don’t think I’d want to go back to that. Having someone to care about, and knowing that they care about you in return…” Brain trailed off, one hand rising to absently touch his heart, and his smile grew, soft and sweet. “It’s nice. It’s really nice.” He tipped his head to the side, meeting my eyes. “Having you with me has made my life so much brighter, and I’m grateful for that. I’m really glad you’re my friend, Chirithy. My best friend.” He grinned, sudden and mischievous. “No-one I’d rather have with me to face the end of the world.”

There was no force in the world that would have been able to stop the tears that welled up in my eyes from the overflow of emotion in my heart, although I surely tried. “You – you –!!” Lacking words, I threw myself at Brain in the fiercest hug I could manage, paws clenching at his coat. Brain caught me, his arms winding around me to return the hug as I blubbered into his coat. “You always s-say such cheesy things,” I sniffled.

Brain’s chest quaked under me in a laugh. “Sorry,” he said, resting his chin atop my head.

“And – and we’re gonna _save_ the world,” I mumbled against cloth.

“That’s the spirit,” Brain agreed, raising a hand to scratch behind my ear. He didn’t let go of the hug though, and neither did I. The warm glow in my heart was shining like the midday sun above us, and I basked in the warmth of it.

“…Hey, Brain?” I asked after a while.

“Mm?”

“I’m really glad I met you. I’m glad I was chosen to be your Chirithy.” I pushed away from his chest, Brain’s arms loosening to allow the movement. I scrubbed a few remaining tears out of my eyes and looked up at him. “You’re my best friend too.”

Brain’s eyes widened, his lips parting in surprise. It was the same look of shock he’d given Ava when she declared that they were friends, the same one he had given me a year ago to the day when I had done the same. In that moment, I made a wish with all my heart: that one day, Brain wouldn’t be so surprised to find himself named a friend.

At least his surprise didn’t last long, already melting into the warmest, brightest, widest grin I had ever seen Brain make. His eyes were silver with joy as he beamed. “Glad to hear it,” he replied, enveloping me in another hug. I buried my face against his coat again, this time giggling helplessly with the happiness welling up inside me. Brain pressed his face against the fur on the top of my head; from the feel of it, I could tell that he was still grinning widely. His arms around me tightened a little more.

Eventually, I felt Brain shift and then I was being set down on the picnic blanket. “Anyway, that’s why I wanted to celebrate today,” Brain explained. “It’s a friend anniversary.”

“A friend anniversary…” I repeated, considering this. I liked the sound of it; I’d never had a friend anniversary before! Although, I guess thinking about it, I’d never really had a friend before Brain…

“Yep!” Brain replied. “I got you something too, for the occasion.”

This pronouncement successfully distracted me from my thoughts. “For me?” I asked, eyes wide. Brain had gotten me a present? Was that a normal thing for a friend anniversary? Excitement settled amongst my bones. A present!

Brain produced a neatly wrapped parcel from the picnic basket – how had he even fit that in there! – and held it out to me in offering. I took it carefully in both paws; it was lighter than its bulky size suggested, and curiosity flared up inside me. A wide ribbon was tied in a bow atop the parcel, completing the look. I looked up at Brain. “Thank you!” I looked down at the present in my paws again, that warm glow shining brightly in my heart. I felt like I might tear up again…

Still, though, if it was customary to get gifts for a friend anniversary – “I didn’t get you anything, though…” I said with regret, smoothing down a ribbon’s curl with a paw.

Brain just waved it off though. “That’s okay, you didn’t have to,” he assured me. “I just wanted to make you something to say thanks for everything you’ve done for me.” He reached out to ruffle the fur on my head. “All you need to do is just keep being you.”

He grinned at me, and I recognised the words as the same that Ava had said to him. Well, if that was enough for Brain, then it was definitely something I could do! “Yeah!” I declared with determination. “Leave it to me!”

Brain chuckled and motioned towards the gift still in my paws. “Well?” he asked. “You gonna open it?”

I felt a little self-conscious opening it while Brain was watching, but that did nothing to stifle the excitement building up inside me as I untied the ribbon and carefully undid the tape. It felt wrong to rip apart the paper when Brain had wrapped it up with such care.

“You don’t have to be so neat about it,” he said, amused. I shook my head.

“You spent time on this,” I replied stubbornly, undoing the last piece of tape, “so I’m gonna take my ti – oh! This is…!”

The paper had fallen away to reveal… Brain’s hat? I blinked at it, confused, then glanced up. No, Brain was still wearing his hat… which meant that this _wasn’t_ his, though it looked remarkably similar. I picked up the new hat, turning it around in my paws. It was black, and a similar style to Brain’s, but looking at it more closely, I could see that it was bigger – it would never fit on his head at all. It had the same shiny grey band around it, though, and even the feather pinned to the band was the same colour, though not quite the same shape. Just like Brain’s hat, it looked super stylish and cool! I looked up at Brain, not quite understanding _why_ I had a replica of his hat in my hands.

Brain just grinned, resting his chin on a fist. “It’s just the right size for a Chirithy,” he said with a wink.

I blinked at him, confused. Then comprehension dawned and I gasped, looking down at the hat – _my_ hat?! – in my paws with awe. Carefully, very carefully, I set the hat on my head. Unlike Brain’s hat, which was too small to sit properly on my head and tended to fall off, this one sat snugly around my head while still leaving enough space for my ears to move comfortably. It was lovely and shady too, the brim broad enough to block the sunlight from my eyes. It fit perfectly, like it had been made just for me – my very own hat! I knew my eyes must be sparkling with joy. Now I could look just as cool as Brain! I struck a pose. “I’m never taking it off!” I declared proudly, making Brain laugh. That was okay, though; I still meant every word.

“I figured since you like mine so much, you should have your own,” Brain explained, grinning. He looked pleased. “That’s not the only thing in there, by the way.”

“Oh?” I’d been so distracted by the hat – my own hat!! – that I hadn’t thought to check if there was anything else. Pushing the brim of my hat – my hat!! – back a bit so I could see better, I looked inside the abandoned wrapping paper and spotted something black and red. “Oh!!” I exclaimed, holding it out: a black cape lined with red, that felt silky and smooth against my fur. Beneath that, a black leather purse with the Lux emblem emblazed on it, like the purse around my neck but _so much cooler_. And last of all, a pair of black boots, perfectly Chirithy-sized. “A whole outfit change!” I gasped in surprise, finally realising what the ensemble was. I hugged the new cape to my chest. “These are amazing!” Where had Brain managed to find clothes like this for me?

Suddenly, memories surfaced – of bandages on Brain’s fingers as he read to me; of the way he’d startle sometimes when I appeared – though he’d gotten used to my sudden appearances long ago – and things were swept under blankets or casually dropped into drawers. I’d never bothered to question it at the time, but a hunch was starting to form. “Brain… did you make all of this yourself?”

Brain rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly with a hand, looking uncharacteristically shy for someone usually so bold. “Well, there’s a sad lack of Chirithy clothing on the market, so – yeah,” he confessed. “It took me a while – I’m more used to repairing my own clothes than starting from scratch, but I got a few pointers from the people who sold me the cloth and they turned out okay, I think. And this way we match, see?” He caught the edge of the cape still in my hands and spread it against his coat in demonstration.

I stared in awe at the clothes in my paws. Brain had made all of this, just for me. Because he had wanted to make something for me. Immense feelings of happiness and gratitude washed over me in an almost unbearable wave, and I felt my eyes begin to sting again. I was only a very small Chirithy, after all, and these feelings were very big. Overwhelmed, I tugged the brim of my new hat down, hiding my eyes the way Brain did when he felt like hiding from the world. How did I get so lucky to have a partner like Brain? Surely there wasn’t enough luck in all the worlds combined, and yet somehow, here we were.

“You… you like it?” Brain asked hesitantly.

I rubbed at my eyes hurriedly to rid them of that stinging feeling and then looked up at Brain, who was starting to look a bit worried the longer I stayed silent. That wouldn’t do! “I love it!! Thank you!!” I cried, throwing myself at Brain in a hug and nearly knocking my new hat off in the process. Luckily, Brain caught me. “Thankyouthankyouthankyou!!” I chanted, barely pausing for breath.

The worry on Brain’s face melted away into a wide grin. “You’re welcome,” he said, hugging me back.

Eager to try on my new clothes, I gave Brain a final squeeze and jumped down again. The boots went on easily; the purse, less so, until I had to reluctantly take off my new hat in order to slip the cord over my head. I jammed it back on immediately afterward; _now_ I would never take it off again!

I enlisted Brain’s help to change capes. He brushed a hand curiously over the Dream Eater sigil on my back but didn’t ask anything about it, so I guess he must have recognised it from all those books he’d been reading. I stood there impatiently as he attempted to tie the new cape around my neck, bouncing with excitement.

“Stop moving!” Brain ordered, frowning in concentration. I did my best to hold still, but I think I may have still been vibrating in place. Brain finished tying the cords, sitting back with a smile. “There you go.”

I twirled around on the spot immediately, loving the way the cape flared out behind me. Coming unsteadily to a stop, I admired the rest of my outfit, as much as I could see of it. I felt so cool!! My very own outfit! My very own hat! The boots were a little weird to walk in, considering I’d never worn shoes before, but they made me look like a Chirithy to be taken seriously, so I was sure I’d get used to them eventually. I could show off my new outfit to that other Chirithy, the next time we met! I’d never seen another Chirithy with their own outfit before… no-one would ever be able to mistake me for any other Chirithy, dressed like this. They’d take one look at me and know that I was Brain’s Chirithy, that we were a team! I giggled happily.

I spun around again just to feel the cape swish around me, and struck a pose, pulling my hat down at a jaunty angle to imitate Brain at his most mysterious. “Well?” I asked, a little breathlessly. “How do I look?!”

Brain grinned. “You look very cool,” he told me, sounding sincere. “It suits you.”

I felt my cheeks burning a bit at the praise, but it didn’t stop me cheering in agreement. “Yeah!!” I declared happily.

Brain laughed and started to pack up away containers into the basket as I danced around the hilltop, unable to contain my excitement. When he was done, he settled back with his hands behind him, his legs sprawled out across the picnic blanket, looking on with fond amusement. After a few more laps around the hill, I decided to join him, wobbling over – I was still getting the hang of boots – to flop across his legs in exhaustion. Brain chuckled, leaning over and scratching behind my ear where the hat had been knocked askew. I hummed in contentment and closed my eyes.

“This is the best present anyone’s ever gotten me,” I said sleepily. “Thanks, Brain.”

“I’m glad you like it,” Brain replied.

We sat there for a while, just enjoying the sunshine and the breeze as I recovered my energy. From my spot atop Brain’s legs, I could see the huge clocktower rising in the distance, impressive as always, and the jewel-bright purple of the rooftops; my imagination supplied the riot of colourful flowers in window boxes, the cobblestone streets. All of it was beautiful, my home, Daybreak Town. Even up here, on this simple hilltop, with the soft grass swaying in the peaceful breeze, the patches of flowers dotted here and there, and Brain’s warmth beneath me. Would it be the same, in that other world?

“I’ll miss being able to come here,” I said wistfully. Brain looked down at me.

“Well, it’ll still exist where we’re going,” he pointed out. “And if we do things right, it should exist when we come back, too. And if we’re really lucky…” Brain trailed off, reaching into his coat and pulling out a large purple-covered tome: the Book of Prophecies. He settled it on his lap, contemplating it with serious grey eyes. “…then maybe we won’t need to miss it at all.”

There was some comfort in that idea, but I suddenly had more pressing queries. “How did you even fit that in there?” I asked incredulously. I knew that Brain had decided that the safest place for the Book was to keep it on his person, but it was bigger than half the books in Brain’s library!

“Magic,” Brain replied, winking at me.

“Seriously?” I asked, levelling him with a flat look. He grinned, looking mischievous enough that I knew I’d never get a straight answer out of him. We laughed.

Brain looked down at the Book of Prophecies resting in his hands, running a thumb along the cover. “Who’d have guessed that Ava was a rulebreaker too, huh?” he said jokingly, a faint, fond smile on his face, though it faded soon after.

I hadn’t been there when Ava had told Brain that he was to be one of the new Union leaders and given him the Book of Prophecies; I’d been off collecting information and synthesis materials from people. I had been annoyed about that when I found out, but to his credit, Brain had found me immediately afterwards to fill me in about what had been said. It had been hard not to stare at the heavy book sitting atop Brain’s desk as he regaled the story, but harder still to ignore the frown on Brain’s face whenever he had contemplated it. He had told me of his suspicions: that he was probably not the one supposed to get the Book of Prophecies, if one read between the lines of Ava’s speech about wanting to change the future. It was a heavy responsibility.

We both contemplated the Book in silence, Brain’s face unreadable. “Are you really not gonna read it ‘til you have to?” I asked eventually, curious.

Brain nodded. “Yeah. I’d rather forge my own path first than rely on the Book of Prophecies and have preconceived ideas. Sometimes I think that all of this could have been avoided if people just…” He trailed off before shaking his head, breaking that line of thought. “Besides, I got Ava’s message loud and clear,” he continued, looking down at the Book in his hands. “Ava entrusted this to me. She’s gambling everything on this one act… on me. I can’t let her down.”

It was a heavy burden that Ava had given him, and I worried that it would be too much for just one person. Brain was smart and very capable, but he was still just one person – still just a child, really. They all were.

But then again, it wouldn’t just be Brain, would it? “Well, you’ll have me to support you,” I declared firmly. “And… you’ll have the others as well.” The other four Union leaders, who Brain didn’t know. Apparently, we weren’t allowed to find out who they were until everything was over. We both found this kind of suspicious, but those had been our instructions and Brain wanted to see how things played out first before he set anything in motion. A lot of things depended on the type of people his fellow Union leaders would be.

“Thanks, Chirithy,” Brain said, smiling gratefully. He tucked the Book of Prophecies away in his coat and leaned back on his hands again. “A Union leader, huh…?” he mused. “Can’t imagine that.” He snorted. “Me of all people.”

“You’ll be fine,” I reassured him. “You’re good at looking after people.” Hadn’t that always been his goal, when it came down to it? Supporting people who needed help – and the Dandelions would need a lot of it in the days to come.

Brain made a doubtful noise as he considered this but offered no counterargument. “Guess I’ll have to put in effort,” he sighed, flopping backwards onto the picnic blanket. He crossed his arms behind his head, looking up at the sky. “No more being lazy.”

He hadn’t truly been anything near lazy for a while now, but it wasn’t important enough to refute. “I wonder what they’ll be like,” I said instead. “The other four.”

“Hopefully, people willing to help me pull off changing fate,” Brain replied. He sounded a bit resigned, like someone who was already sure things wouldn’t be that simple but determined to keep moving forward anyway.

I pushed myself up until I could see Brain’s face. “Maybe – friends?” I offered hopefully.

“Maybe.” A pause. “It’d be nice,” he admitted after a moment, smiling wistfully. I offered up a silent heart-wish to anyone who could hear that it would be so.

The silence stretched, both of us lost in our own thoughts, until Brain let out a long sigh and pulled the brim of his hat down over his face, shielding it from the sun. “Well, now’s not the time to worry about it,” he announced, tilting his head up to peer at me through the small gap left. “We’ve done the eating and the scenery enjoying, so it’s time for the napping.” He finished this off with a grin in my direction before he settled his hat back into place.

Well, I guess he had a point. And a nap sounded good right about now. I curled up against Brain’s side, using him as a pillow, and copied him by pulling my hat down low over my eyes to block out the sunlight. Once I was settled, Brain tucked his arm around me like a loose hug, resting his hand on his stomach. I let my paws rest atop Brain’s arm. We had a big job ahead of us, but for now, we could simply rest and enjoy the sunshine.

“G’night, Brain,” I mumbled.

“Good night, Chirithy,” Brain replied. I could see the edge of his grin under his hat.

I closed my eyes. Written or not, no matter what the future held… as long as Brain and I were together, we’d be okay.

Yeah. We’d be okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so here was the scene that required 50k of words to precede it hahaha Brain making and gifting Chirithy's matching outfit! There's no indication in game that anyone else does anything similar or that they'd even sell Chirithy accessories like that around town, which means Brain is a GIANT SOFT NERD who made that outfit himself BLESS HIM I love these two, I literally gasped when I saw matching Chirithy for the first time haha
> 
> Thanks for reading! It's been so fun writing as Chirithy, I hope I get more opportunities to do it!
> 
> Onwards to the epilogue!


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Words from the heart.

_Hey, Brain –_

_I still don’t really know what kind of a name that is, but it definitely suits you. From the beginning, you’ve always been so curious about the world and everything in it, me included. Ever since I woke up and knew in my heart that my role was to guide a Keyblade wielder, I still never could have imagined that my partner would be someone like you. You’re a bit of a strange one, Brain – always reading and napping and talking about things I don’t really understand and asking so many questions about everything… it was a little overwhelming at first, but I still wanted to do my best as a Chirithy._

_But questions aren’t so bad. I may not know all the answers, but that was okay, because you showed me that we could look for them together. You taught me how to look at things more closely, how to understand things that don’t make sense at first, how to change my way of thinking if it needed to be changed._

_You’re right though; we’ve both come a long way. You’ve improved so much from that lazy boy napping on the hill I first met, even if you don’t see it yourself. But I’m always here by your side, and I see you, Brain. And the best parts of you – they haven’t changed at all, despite everything you’ve had to go through. You’re kind and you’re super smart, and even though other people might think that you’re lazy – even though_ I _thought you were lazy at first – the truth is that you actually work really hard behind the scenes!_

_You’ve been on your own for such a long time... you say you’ve never felt lonely, but surely there must have been times when even you craved an encouraging word, a pat on the arm. Sometimes, I think about it, and I want to cry – I think maybe you know what I’m feeling, if not why, because those are the days you hold me close while you read, or bake me things to try and cheer me up. Your heart is so big, and filled with light, and you care so much about helping people – even if you don’t talk to them much. I hope that one day, other people can see what I see – see how caring, and loyal, and determined you are – and that you can stop being so alone._

_Still, that’s not quite true, is it? You’re not alone anymore, because you have me! And that’s one thing I won’t change for anything._ _You’ve got a lot riding on your shoulders, Mr Union Leader, and I’m gonna be there to help you every step of the way. I’m so proud to be your Chirithy, Brain, and I know you’ll do a great job as a Union leader. You don’t really need my guidance – you’ve known the path you want to walk for longer than you’ve known me – but I still want to do my best, as a Chirithy, as your partner, as your_ friend _. So I’ll be here when you need me: to help you, to support you, to encourage you as you grow into the Keyblade Master I know you’ll become one day._

_I believe in you, Brain. And I know others will too._

_Just you wait and see._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's a wrap! Just want to say a really big thank you to everyone who read this fic, and especially to those of you who commented/left kudos/bookmarked, I really appreciate it! I hope you all enjoyed reading this story of Chirithy and Brain, and that this smart boy can get all the love and appreciation he deserves ;v;
> 
> As you may have noticed, this fic is part of a series! Part II will be from Ephemer's POV :) Chirithy's story may come to an end here for now, but I'm sure we'll see him again haha
> 
> Thanks again! Hope you'll join me for Part II, whenever that happens to be!


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